II 


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BANCROFT 

LIBRARY 
•»• 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


JAMES  SWISHER. 


HOW  I  KNOW, 


OR 


SIXTEEN  YEARS'  EVENTFUL  EXPERIENCE. 


AN 

AUTHENTIC  NARRATIVE, 

EMBRACING 

A  BRIEF  RECORD  OF  SERIOUS  AND  SEVERE  SERVICE  ON  THE  BATTLE-FIELDS 
OF  THE  SOUTH;  A  DETAILED  ACCOUNT  OF  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISES, 
THRILLING  ADVENTURES,  NARROW  ESCAPES,  AND  DIRE  DISASTERS 
ON  THE  WESTERN  FRONTIER  AND  IN  THE  WILDS  OF  THE  WEST; 
LIFE  AMONG  THE  MORMONS,  THE    MINERS,  AND  THE  IN- 
DIANS; THE  PAST,  THE  PRESENT,  AND  THE  FUTURE  OF 
THE  GREAT  WEST;  THE  WONDERFUL  GRANDEUR 
AND  BEAUTY  OF  ITS  SCENERY  AND  ITS  LAND-    . 
SCAPES;   ITS  GREAT  MINERAL  AND  AGRI- 
CULTURAL RESOURCES;  A  GLANCE  AT 
THE  MORE  IMPORTANT  EVENTS  IN 
ITS    HISTORY  AND    DEVELOP- 
MENT, ETC.,  ETC. 


BY  JAMES    S WISHER,  I  $  <f  Cj  _ 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR: 
CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 

1880. 


COPYRIGHT,  1880,  BY  JAMES  SWISHER. 


Comp.  and  Electrotyped 

PRESS   OF  BY 

JONES  BROTHERS  &  Co.  CAMPBELL  &  COMPANY, 

CINCINNATI.  CINCINNATI,  O. 


UBRAHt 


I  HAVE  written  this  book,  not  because  I  make  any 
pretensions  as  an  author  or  writer,  but  at  the  earnest 
request  of  many  of  my  friends  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  who  have  urged  me  to  prepare  and  publish  an 
account  of  my  travels  and  experiences. 

I  have  thought  it  unnecessary  to  speak,  except  in 
the  briefest  manner  possible,  of  my  experiences  in  the 
Civil  War.  I  have  said  enough  on  this  subject,  how- 
ever, to  vividly  recall  to  the  minds  of  my  comrades- 
in-arms  the  thrilling  incidents  of  those  dark  days,  and 
to  awaken  the  memory  of  the  keen  interest  and  the 
trembling  apprehension  with  which  the  dire  conflict 
was  viewed  from  the  thousands  of  homes  and  firesides, 
by  mother,  wife  and  sister. 

I  have  been  vain  enough  to  hope  that  my  book 
may  not  be  entirely  devoid  of  interest  to  those  who 
love  such  grandly  magnificent  and  beautiful  works  of 
Nature  as  are  to  be  seen  in  so  many  places  in  the 
West.  Of  these  I  have  given  such  glimpses  and  de- 
scriptions as  the  limits  of  the  book  and  my  ability  as 
a  writer  would  allow. 

Of  the  Mormons,  Indians,  miners,  and  other  classes 
of  people  of  which  I  speak,  I  say  only  such  things  as 
I  have  learned  by  personal  association  and  observation. 


iv  PREP  A  CE. 

Although  in  some  cases  my  account  may  not  be  com- 
plete and  exhaustive,  yet  I  think  it  will  be  always  in- 
teresting and  valuable  from  the  fact  that  it  is  reliable. 

In  what  I  have  said  of  the  mining  and  agricultural 
resources  and  the  commercial  interests  of  the  West,  I 
have  been  guided  by  an  extensive  and  varied  experi- 
ence, and  a  wide  opportunity  for  observation.  I  have 
been  laborer,  lumberman,  explorer,  guide,  traveler, 
prospector,  miner,  hunter,  Indian-fighter,  government 
surveyor  and  civil  engineer,  freighter,  herder,  stock- 
broker, and  transient  sojourner.  In  one  or  another  of 
these  capacities  I  have  visited  nearly  every  portion  of 
the  West,  and  consequently  know  whereof  I  speak. 

I  do  not  expect  to  escape  criticism.  I  am  well 
aware  that  I  am  in  great  need  of  it.  Still  I  hope  that 
those  who  read  this  book  will  belong  to  that  class  of 
true  critics  who  endeavor,  as  far  as  possible,  to  seek  out 
that  which  is  commendable  and  praiseworthy,  and  to 
overlook  that  which  is  imperfect  and  incomplete.  I  can 
but  express  the  hope  that  each  one  who  reads  the  book 
may  derive  some  little  benefit  from  what  I  have  written. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  but  proper  that  I  should  here 
express  my  sincere  thanks  to  Messrs.  Jones  Brothers 
&  Co.,  Cincinnati,  for  the  generous  kindness  with 
which  they  have  afforded  me  every  needed  assistance 
and  facility  for  the  proper  printing,  binding  and  illus- 
tration of  my  book.  Their  friendly  favors  shall  ever  be 
held  in  most  grateful  remembrance. 

J.  S. 

January,   1880. 


coNTENTs 


fr 


CHAPTER    I. WITH    THE    TWENTIETH    ARMY    CORPS. 

Birth-place — Joins  the  Army — Sketch  of  the  Twentieth  Corps — Battles 
of  Lookout  Mountain,  Rocky  Face  Ridge  and  Resaca — Capture  of  Pine  Knob — 
Kenesaw  Mountain — Peach  Tree  Creek — Siege  of  Atlanta — The  "March  to 
the  Sea" — Savannah  occupied — Devastation  of  the  "Mother  of  Secession" — 
Pursuit  of  Johnston's  flying  Forces — The  Surrender  at  Raleigh — Homeward — 
The  grand  Review  at  Washington — Home  and  Friends.  .  .  .  11-25 

CHAPTER    II. UTAH    AND   THE    MORMONS. 

The  "Western  Fever" — In  a  Utah  mining  Camp — Situation  of  Utah — The 

Mormons — Mountain  Meadow  Massacre — Bishop   S 's  "  Revelations  " — A 

horrible  Outrage — Murder  of  D.  P.  Smith — Another  Instance  of  Mormon 
Atrocity — Nationality  of  the  Mormons — Adobe  Houses — Practical  Polygamy 
— Scenery  in  Utah — Hot  and  cold  Springs — Irrigation — Mountains  and  Des- 
erts— Grass,  Cattle  and  Timber — Mining — Early  Mining  Experiences — Sinks 
a  Shaft,  and  some  Money — The  Webster  Lode — General  Reflections.  .  26-44 

CHAPTER    III.— NEVADA. 

Nevada  for  a  Change — Carson  City — Lake  Tahoe — Mining  Fever  again — 
Stock-speculator — The  Comstock  Mines — The  Narrow  Guage  Rarlroad — The 
long  Flume — Heat  and  Water  in  the  Mines — Ventilation — The  Sutro  Tunnel 
— Climate  of  Nevada — Stock  and  Farming — Hot  Springs — Alkali — The 

brackish  Water.  45~53 

CHAPTER  IV.— CALIFORNIA. 

From  Carson  City  to  San  Francisco — The  Enchanting  Scenery — Donner 
Lake — Pulpit  Rock — Sad  Story  of  the  Donner  Family — Indian  Tradition — In 
the  old  Mining  District — Virgin  Gold — Geological  History — Theories — Placer 
Mining — Some  big  Nuggets — Northward — TheYosemiteValley — The  "Garden 
of  the  Gods"— Nevada  Fall— The  Giant  Trees— California  Vegetables— The 
Golden  City — Its  Splendor  and  Magnificence — Fertile  Valleys  and  Immense 
Crops — The  Seasons — Stock-raising — Grape  Culture — Drawbacks — Something 
of  a  Shake — Volcanic  and  Desert  Regions — The  Earthquake  of  1872.  .  54-74 

CHAPTER  V.— THE  CHINESE. 

The  Chinese — Their  Appearance — Their  Dress — Their  Numbers — Most 
of  Them  in  Servitude — The  Six  Companies — Low  Wages — Idol  Worship — A 
Law  unto  Themselves — The  Chinese  Quarter — Coolies — Legislation — General 
Review  of  California  Resources — Wealth  per  capita — Commercial  Enterprises 
— Agricultural  Resources — Remarkably  Healthy  Climate — Colonizing — Gov- 
ernment Lands — Area  and  Population — Internal  Improvements.  .  75~$2 
CHAPTER  VI. — OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON. 

Portland— The  Varied  Climate— The  Fertile  Tracts— Population— The 
Columbia  River— The  Cascade  Range— The  Lava  Beds— Fine  Stock— Wil- 
lamette Valley — Agricultural  Products  of  the  State — Grains  and  Fruits — 


vi  CONTENTS. 

Washington  Territory  —  Lumbering  —  The  Cold  Weather  —  Fish  and  Game  — 

The  Indians  —  The  grand  Scenery  of  the  North-west.          .         .         .         83-90 

CHAPTER  VII.—  MEXICO. 

Eleven  Months  in  Mexico—  The  Mexicans  —  The  Climate  —  Mexican  Char- 
acter —  Mining  —  Primitive  Processes  Employed  —  The  Dwellings  —  General  De- 
cay —  A  Stranger's  Impressions  —  Amusements  —  Gambling  —  Mexican  Horse- 
manship —  Corraling  Wild  Stock  —  Lassoing  —  Riding  a  Wild  Horse  —  Cheap 
Horses  —  The  Beauty  of  the  Country  —  The  Delightful  Climate  —  Chihuahua  — 
The  Casas  Grandes  Ruins  —  Explorations  —  Relics  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
Ancient  Cities  —  Other  Ancient  Ruins  —  The  Moqui  Indians  of  Arizona  —  The 
Cliff-dwellers  —  A  Legend  —  Character  of  the  Moqui.  .  .  .  91-103 

CHAPTER  VIII.—  ARIZONA. 

Heat  and  Sand  —  Other  Disagreeable  Features  —  Mr.  Janin's  Great  Scheme 

—  Prospector's  Outfit  —  Burros  —  Packs  and   Pack-saddles  —  Perils  of  Prospect- 
ing —  Ancient   Mines  —  The  Inhabitants  —  Drinking  and   Gambling  —  Indians  — 
Cock-fighting  —  Is  Civilization  a  Failure?  .....         104-112 

CHAPTER  IX.—  NAVAJOES. 

A  Long  Trip  on  Horseback  —  Chosen  Leader  —  The  Outfit  —  Grand  and 
Beautiful  Scenery  —  First  Camp  —  A  Dreary  Night  —  Wet,  Worn  and  Wear}-  — 
Following  a  Mountain  Trail  —  Night  in  the  Forest  —  Indian  Signs  —  An  Unex- 
pected Visitor—  Sketch  of  Bennett—  "  Injuns!  Injuns!"—  A  Fierce  Fight—  The 
Indians  Retreat  —  The  Killed  and  Wounded  —  Burying  the  Dead  —  Forward!  — 
An  Indian  Ambush  —  But  Five  Escape  —  Closely  Pursued  —  Fishing  for  Food  — 
Worn  out  —  Sad  Reflections  —  A  Dreadful  Night  —  Friends  Discovered  —  Names 
of  Those  Killed.  ..........  113-132 

CHAPTER    X.  —  THROUGH    THE    COLORADO    CANONS. 

The  Colorado  Canon  —  A  large  Prospecting  Party  —  The  Start  —  No  Road 

—  Traveling  by  Night  —  No  Water  —  A  Mutiny  —  A  Bad  Situation  —  Plain  Talk 

—  Another  Mutiny  —  A  Separation  —  Off  Again  —  Deserters  Return  —  Cornered 
by    a   Grizzly  —  Habits    of  the    Grizzly  —  Hunting    the   Grizzly  —  The   Grizzly 
Killed  —  A   Lofty   Outlook  —  Standing   Guard  —  Pleasant  Dreams  —  A   Gloomy 
Ride  —  Creeping   down   the    Mountain    Side  —  Meets  a   Panther  —  A  Frightful 
Situation—  The    Last    Chance—  A    Lucky    Shot—  Safe    in    the   Valley—  Day- 
light— The   Dead    Panther—  Trout-fishing—  Dreadful    Dreams—  "  Raising   the 
Color."        ............ 


CHAPTER    XI.—  THROUGH    THE    COLORADO    CANONS.—  [CONTINUED.] 

A  Mightv  Precipice  —  The  Grand  Canon  —  Buckskin  Mountains  —  "Heads 
or  Tails  "  —  Up  the  River  —  Rough  Traveling  —  Down  the  Gulch  —  An  Im- 
pressive Situation  —  The  Head  of  the  Canon  —  Ancient  Ruins  —  An  Oasis  —  A 
Dangerous  Swim  —  Safely  Over  —  Eastern  Side  of  the  River  —  Apache  Visitors 
—  "  Heap  Bad  Injun  "—Prospecting  —  An  Undesirable  Location  —  Callville  — 
John  D.  Lee  —  Murderous  Mormons.  ....••  I53~I^4 

CHAPTER    XIL—  MONTANA    AND    IDAHO. 

First  Settlers—  Rich  Resources—  The  Gallatin  Valley—  Other  Valleys- 
Occupations  —  Advantages  of  the  Railroads  —  Staging  and  Freighting  —  Cor- 
rinne—  Warehouses—  A  Bad  Road—  High  Prices—"  Self-risers,"  "  Pilgrims," 
"Tenderfoots."  ..........  165-168 

CHAPTER    XIII.  —  LAKES    AND    SPRINGS    OF   THE    FAR    WEST. 

Waters  of  the  West—  Great  Salt  Lake—  Its  Outlet—  The  Lake  Rising- 
Bathing—  Lake  Tahoe—  Good  Place  for  Captain  Boy  ton—  Crystal  Lake—  Va- 
rieties of  Waters  —  Hot  Springs  —  Phenomena  in  Connection  with  Hot  Springs 


CONTENTS.  vii 

— A  Large  Spring — The  Yellowstone — A  Tide  Spring — A  Mud  Spring  — 
The  Steamboat  Spring— Alkaline  Streams— Causes  of  Hot  Springs,  Earth- 
quakes, and  Volcanoes 169-177 

CHAPTER  XIV.— LA  PAZ. 

Surveying  in  Arizona— Two  Days'  Ride  in  a  "  Jerkey  "—Stage-coach  Ex- 
periences— The  Factotum  Expressman — La  Paz — A  Dilapidated  Town — Rough 
Customers — The  Hotel — The  Landlord — A  Bad  Lot — Street  Scenes — Riot  Let 
Loose — A  Rush  for  "  Hash  " — The  Barroom — The  Landlord's  Stories — Greas- 
ers— A  Night  in  Bedlam — Another  Lodging-place — A  Drunken  Texan — 
Pleasant  Anticipations — Taking  a  Tumble — Complimentary  Comments — A 
Big  Dinner — Night  Scenes — Routed  by  Bed-bugs — Another  Tumble — Family 
History — Impressions  of  La  Paz — Back  to  Fort  McDowell — Does  "  Roughing 
It  "Pay? 178-192 

CHAPTER    XV.— STOCK-RAISING. 

Successful  Men — Life  of  a  Stock-raiser — The  Cow-boys — Branding  Stock 
— County  Inspectors — A  Stock  Range — Changing  Range's — A  "  Round-up  " 
— Description  of  the  "  Cow-boys  " — Dangers  of  a  Herder's  Life — Indian 
Raids 193-201 

CHAPTER    XVI. STOCK-BROKER    AND    FREIGHTER. 

San  Francisco — "  Bulls  "  and  "  Bears  "—A  Good  Run  of  Luck— A  Bad 
Run — Two-thirds  of  Capital  Lost — Off  for  Salt  Lake  City — Meeting  Old 
Friends — Outfit  of  Wagons  Bought — Instance  of  Mormon  Atrocity — The 
Gilson  Brothers — Buying  Oxen  at  Manti — Loading  up  with  Flour — Learning 
to  Drive  Oxen — Handling  the  Whip — Yoking  the  Cattle — Stuck  in  the  Mud 
— Doubling  Up — The  Second  of  March — Completely  Disgusted — The  Final 
Start  from  Manti — Names  of  the  Party — Salina — A  Herder's  Camp — Snow — 
Five  Weary  Weeks — Advice — Thirteen  Miles  in  Six  Weeks — Desolate  Coun- 
try   202-218 

CHAPTER    XVII.— IN    GREEN    RIVER    VALLEY. 

Streams  in  Castle  Valley— Description  of  the  Valley— Rock  Wells— Bad 
Water — Wretched  Traveling — Green  River  Valley — High  Water— A  Long 
Ride  for  a  Boat — A  Pleasant  Camp — Trip  to  the  Canon — Grand  Mountain 
View — Mountain  Sheep — Back  to  Camp — Beaver  and  Otter — Snakes — A  Rat- 
tlesnake Den — Wolves — An  Exciting  Chase — Habits  of  the  Wolves — Wait- 
ing   219-232 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— VEXATIOUS  DELAYS. 

The  Boat  Arrives — Ferrying  the  Wagons  and  Loads  Across — Swimming 
the  Cattle — A  Wearisome  Effort — The  Virtue  of  Patience — Cattle  Stampeded 
by  a  Grizzly — Back  Across  the  River  Again — A  Dangerous  Situation — A 
little  out  of  Humor — A  Strange  Discovery — A  Remarkable  Trail — What 
Could  the  Cloven-footed  "  Varmint  "  Be?— No  Cattle— A  Hazardous  Under- 
taking— The  Cattle  Found — Driven  Over  the  River  Again — The  Green 
Brothers  Murdered — Something  of  their  History — The  "  Saints  "  and  their 
Principles — Persecution  of  the  Gentiles — The  Green  Brothers'  Ranch — 'Their 
Horrible  Death— Trail  of  the  Murderers— A  Clue  to  the  Mystery— A  Warning 
to  Hasten — A  Fatiguing  Journey — Grand  River  Valley — The  Paradise  of  Col- 
orado— Ancient  Ruins — Two  Miles  a  Day — Serious  Reflections.  .  233-252 

CHAPTER  XIX.— MORAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE. 

Colorado  as  a  Health  Resort — Lack  of  Society — Two  Years'  Isolation — 
A  Test  of  Character— The  Lazy  Man— The  Cheerful  Man— Wealth  and  Rank 
— Worth  and  Character — The  Use  of  Tobacco — Lonesomeness — Money-mak- 


viii  CONTENTS. 

ing  and  Mining — Duped — Carrying  Weapons — Game  on  Green  River — A 
Hunter's  Requisites — Methods  of  Hunting — Mountain  Sheep — Deer — Face  of 
the  Country — Mirages — Gold^-Scenery — A  Beautiful  Prospect — Civilization 
Once  More — Chief  Ouray — The  Ute  Indians — Their  Farming  (?) — Los  Pinos 
Agency — Selling  Out 253-271 

CHAPTER  XX. — SHALL  THE  YOUNG  MAN  GO  WEST? 

A  Mining  Region — Mining  Enterprises — Great  Corporations — Their  Im 
mense  Power — Prosperity — The  Real  Sovereigns — Advisability  of  Mining 
Ventures — Chances  of  the  Investor  and  Prospector — The  San  Juan  Region — 
Disappointment  and  Dissipation — Immigration — Leadville — Mr.  W.  H.  Ste- 
vens— Soft  Carbonates  —  Bonanzas — Roughing  It — A  Mining  Excitement — 
Idlers — Unpoetic  Poverty — Overplus  of  Population — Condition  of  San  Fran- 
cisco— Let  the  Young  Man  Stay  at  Home — The  Puzzled  Englishman — Decep- 
tive Appearances — "Cloud-bursts.".  ......  272-288 

CHAPTER  XXI.— A  SPANISH  BULL-FIGHT. 

Ojo  Calienta— The  Early  Comers— A  Front  Seat  at  the  Corral— The 
Spectators — The  Matador e — The  Bull — The  First  Rush — A  Prolonged  En- 
counter— The  Bull  Vanquished — Another  Bull  Brought  in — The  Matadore 
Tossed — Severely  Injured — A  Panic — Scaffolding  Gives  Way — A  Firm  Reso- 
lution   289-295 

CHAPTER    XXII.— THE    INDIANS. 

Their  Wigwams — Bedding — Hunting  and  Amusements — Trading — Dis- 
posal of  the  Dead — Instance  of  Cruelty — Medicine  Men — Exorcising  Evil 
Spirits — Religious  Belief. 296-301 

CHAPTER    XXIII.— THE    CUSTER    MASSACRE. 

The  Tragedy  of  June  25,  1876— Sorrow  of  the  Nation— Sketch  of  Custer's 
Life — Hancock's  Campaign — Hancock  Outwitted — Custer's  First  Indian  Fight 
— "  Circling  "  — Massacre  of  Lieutenant  Kidder  and  Party — Horrid  Scenes — 
General  Sully's  Campaign — Custer's  Washita  Campaign — Yellowstone  Ex- 
pedition— Murder  of  Honzinger  and    Baliran — Arrest  of  Rain-in-the-Face — 
He  Escapes  and   Swears  Vengeance  against  Custer — Black  Hills  Expedition 
— Gold  in  the  Hills — Events  of  1875 — Campaign  against  Sitting  Bull  and  Crazy 
Horse — Custer  in  Disgrace  at  Headquarters — The  Miserable  Belknap  Affair — 
Three  Columns  Converge  upon  the   Hostile   Camp — The  Bloody  Ending — 
Close  of  the  Campaign — Sitting  Bull  Goes  to  Canada,  and  Crazy  Horse  to  the 
Happy  Hunting-grounds — Perhaps.  ......         302-348 

CHAPTER  XXIV. — WHERE  SHALL  WE  SETTLE? 

Go  West! — Southern  Minnesota — Iowa — Southern  Dakota — Nebraska — 
Kansas — The  Indian  Territory — No! — Texas — Don't  Believe  All  You  Hear! — 
The  Indian  Border — California:  Land  Monopoly — Oregon — Climate  and  Soil 
— "  The  Great  American  Desert  "—Probable  Population  in  1900— Whither  is 
the  Surplus  Population  to  Go? — Good  Land  Pretty  Well  Occupied — What 
will  be  the  Result? — Western  Wilds  will  Continue  Wild  for  a  Century  to 

Come 349~381 

CHAPTER  XXV.— CONCLUSION. 

Homeward  Bound — Old  Memories  Aroused — A  Surprise — A  Pleasant 
Meeting — Time's  Changes — Contrasts — Preparing  for  a  Little  Trip — Detained 
— Another  Surprise  -A  Happy  Birthday — Concluding  Reflections.  382-384 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

Frontispiece. 

Abraham  Lincoln,             13 

Jefferson  Davis,             .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  16 

Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,       .                  18 

Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea,       ......  21 

Gen.  Robt  E.  Lee, ..22 

Gen.  U.  S.  Grant, 2 

Mountain  Meadow  Massacre,           .......  2 

Mormon  Persecution,            .......  31 

Brigham  Young,       .         ........  34 

Mormon  Tabernacle,             .......  37 

New  Mining  Town,          ........  40 

View  near  Lake  Tahoe,        .......  46 

Blue  Canon,  Sierra  Nevada,              ......  48 

Humboldt  Palisades,     ........  52 

Dormer  Lake,             .........  54 

Pulpit  Rock,  Echo  Canon,           ........  55 

Scene  near  Eagle  Lake,  California,          .....  59 

The  Two  Guardsmen,           .......  61 

The  Yosemite  Falls, 63 

Bridal  Veil  Fall,  Yosemite  Valley,       .....  65 

A  California  Stump,         ........  67 

Northern  California  Scenery,       ......  70 

Cape  Horn,  Central  Pacific  R.  R.,  .         .......         .         .72 

Chinese  Quarter,  San  Francisco,          .....  79 

Rapids  of  the  Upper  Columbia,      ....'.  84 

View  in  the  Modoc  Country,       .         .         .         .         .         .  86 

View  on  the  Oregon  Coast,     .......  88 

Border  Mexicans,          ........  91 

Mexican  Border  Town,  .         .         .         .  .         .94 

Mexican  Border  Invasion,             .....  97 

Arizona  Sand  Plains,        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  101 

A  Train  of  Burros,       .         .         .         .         .         ...         .  107 

Perils  of  Prospecting,       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  108 

Civilization  in  Arizona,        .......  no 

An  Arizona  Scrimmage,  .         .         .         .         .         .         .in 

Scene  in  the  Sierra  Del  Cariso  Range,        .         .         .         .  114 

Following  a  Mountain  Trail,  .         .         .         .         .         .118 

Attacked  by  Navajo  Indians,       .         .         .         .         .         .  123 

An  Indian  Ambuscade,             127 

The  Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado,     .....  134 

The  Search  for  Water,     ........  137 

Coi'nered  by  Grizzlies,           .......  141 

In  the  Colorado  Canons,  .         .         .         .         .         .         .150 

Sunset  in  the  Colorado  Canons,            .         .         .         .         .  156 

ix 


X  ILL  US  TRA  TIONS. 

PAGE. 

Prospecting  in  the  Colorado  Canons,      .....  160 

Execution  of  John  D.  Lee,            ......  163 

Great  Salt  Lake,       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .170 

Vernal  Falls,  California,       .......  173 

"Giantess,"  Big  Geyser  of  the  Yellowstone,            .         .         .  17^ 

A  Western  Frontiersman,             ......  195 

Ready  for  a  Raid,              ........  199 

Salt  Lake  City,  1857,             203 

Sevier  River,  Wasatch  Mountains,          .         .         .         .         .213 

Herders'  Camping  House,             ......  215 

Shoshonee  Indians  in  the  Sevier  Valley,         .         .         .         .217 

Camp  in  Green  River  Valley,      ......  223 

Night  Scene  in  Green  River  Canon,        .....  225 

Peak  in  Green  River  Valley,        ......  230 

Orson  Pratt,  Mormon  Prophet,        .         .         .         .         .         .241 

Former  Residences  of  Brigham  Young,     ....  243 

George  A.  Smith,  Mormon  Apostle,       .....  243 

"The  Swift  Dashing  Water," 248 

Lonely — Three  Thousand  Miles  from  Home,          .         .         .251 

"Oh,  Solitude,  Where  are  thy  Charms?"             .         .         .  254 

Scalp-Dance  of  the  Ute  Indians,     ......  200 

Hunting  Buffalo  in  the  Olden  Time,             ....  265 

He  Paid  a  Big  Price, .         .  276 

These  Did  Not  Grow  in  a  Mining  Region,         .         .         .  279 

An  Old  '4961'  Not  Yet  Rich,             282 

Dead  Broke, „  284 

Mexican  Outlaws,              ........  290 

Mexican  Maiden,  Lower  Class,            .....  291 

Pueblo  Cacique,  New  Mexico, 293 

Mexican  Indians,           ........  294 

Indian  Wigwam,       .........  297 

Black  Hawk, 299 

Un  Inc1;o  Bravo,  Texas,            .......  300 

"Go  West," 305 

"Busted," 307 

Ouster's  First  Indian  Fight,          ......  310 

Western  Scout,— Wild  Bill, 313 

Rude  Surgery  of  the  Plains,        .         .         .         .         .         .  3*9 

Scene  of  the  Sioux  War, 326 

Getting  the  First  Shot, 333 

Fighting  Hand  to  Hand,           .......  339 

Winter  in  the  Minnesota  Pineries, 351 

Droughty  Kansas,      .........  355 

Texas  and  Coahuila  in  1830,         ....                   .  359 

Skirmish  with  Indians,     ........  305 

Fort  Massachusetts,  New  Mexico,  1855,      ....  367 

A  California  Big  Tree,      .         . 371 

Nevada  Falls,  Yosemite  Valley, 375 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WITH   THE   TWENTIETH    ARMY    CORPS. 

THE  author  of  this  work  was  born  in  Champaign 
County,  Ohio,  in  June,  1849,  and,  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  nine  months  and  twenty- three  days, 
joined  the  army.  He  was  assigned  to  Company  E,  of 
the  Fifth  Ohio  Infantry,  twentieth  army  corps,  and  sent 
to  the  field.  "What  fun  I  shall  have,"  thought  he  to 
himself,  as  he  took  his  position  in  the  ranks.  Little 
does  a  boy  know,  at  that  age,  about  the  life  of  a  soldier. 
Since  every  one  has  read  and  re-read  the  history  of 
the  war,  I  will  condense  what  I  saw  into  a  few  words, 
merely  giving  a  little  history  of  the  different  battles  in 
which  the  twentieth  corps  took  part.  No  body  of 
troops  in  the  Northern  army  made  for  itself  a  prouder 
history  than  the  twentieth  army  corps.  Its  life  was 
crowded  with  events  not  one  of  which  brings  dishonor 
to  its  proudest  member,  although  it  was  formed  from  the 
most  daring,  cultivated,  and  resolute  men  of  the  North. 
"The  best  fruit  trees  are  clubbed  the  most,"  and,  in  the 
army,  detraction  often  follows  the  exhibition  of  superior 
merit  in  discipline,  appearance,  or  achievements.  From 


12  HOW  I  KNOW. 

the  rigid  tests  of  Manchester,  Port  Republic,  Antietam, 
Dumfries,  Chancellorsville,  and  Gettysburg,  Gen.  Hooker 
brought  his  men  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  at  a 
perilous  hour. 

The  troops  of  Gen.  Bragg,  full  sixty  thousand  strong, 
nerved  with  an  earnest  devotion  to  their  cause,  and  en- 
couraged by  the  doubtful  result  at  Chickamauga,  occu- 
pied an  almost  impregnable  position  near  Chattanooga, 
while  in  front  of  them  Rosecrans  held  an  uncertain 
footing.  His  soldiers  had  seen  the  hopes  of  an  early 
peace  quickly  'disappear.  They  were  almost  appalled 
at  the  gigantic  proportions  the  rebellion  had  assumed. 
They  wrere  disheartened  by  the  absence,  without  leave, 
of  thousands  of  their  comrades.  Their  line  of  supplies 
was  in  imminent  danger,  and  the  country  was  at  that 
time  enshrouded  in  such  gloom  that  the  growing  glory 
of  President  Lincoln  could  scarcely  be  discerned.  It 
was  at  this  crisis  that  the  men  whose  badges  imaged  the 
lights  that  rule  the  night  came  and  kindled  a  lustre  in 
Wauhatchie  Valley,  that  rose  and  spread  until  it  bathed 
in  matchless  splendor  old  Lookout  Mountain's  rugged 
peak.  Rosecrans  was  saved!  Tennessee  was  saved! 
A  portion  of  the  corps  then  hurried  away  to  Knoxville, 
with  others  from  the  fifteenth  corps,  and  soon  broke  the 
bands  in  which  Longstreet  had  kept  Burnside  hampered, 
almost  to  the  point  of  starvation.  The  remainder  of 
the  corps  went  into  winter  quarters. 

It  was  on  the  4th  of  April,  1864,  that  the  twentieth 
corps  was  formed,  the  beloved  Joe  Hooker  being  placed 
at  its  head.  The  corps  retained  the  star  of  the  twelfth 


WITH  THE   TWENTIETH  ARMT  CORPS. 


13 


corps  as  its  insignia.     Its  real  history  began   with  the 
campaign  that  soon  opened.     On  the  8th  of  May,  the 
enemy  was  found  occupying  a  strong  position  on  Rocky 
Face  Ridge.     A  severely  contested  fight  followed.     It 
had  been  said  that  if  Johnston  could  not  hold  that  place 
he  could  not  hold  any  in  Georgia,  and  the  firmest  deter- 
mination charac- 
terized  the  con- 
test  until   night- 
fall,   when    both 
armies  retired; 
Johnston  to  his 
works  at  Resaca, 
and   our   troops 
to    pass    through 
Snake  Creek  Gap 
and  then   attack 
them  again. 

Constant  skir- 
mishing was  kept 
up  until,  on  the 
1 4th  of  May,  at 
Resaca,  the  Con- 
federate forces 
advanced  under  a  flag  so  faded  that  it  was  taken  for  a 
flag  of  truce.  In  cansequence  of  this  mistake  a  terrible 
^blow  was  given  to  our  forces.  The  blow  was  aimed  at 
•the  fourteenth  corps,  and  shook  it  to  the  center.  But 
Gen.  Hooker,  by  throwing  out  a  brigade  with  that 
marvelous  dexterity  in  which  none  could  surpass  him. 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


14  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

saved  the  Fifth  Indiana  Battery  when  on  the  very  point 
of  capture,  checked  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  and  held 
his  ground  until  dark.  The  next  morning  the  entire 
corps  moved  forward  upon  the  enemy,  now  firmly  in- 
trenched in  a  series  of  lines  so  arranged  as  to  make  an 
attack  very  difficult.  The  momentum  of  the  first  charge 
carried  it  over  the  first  line,  where  it  gallantly  reformed 
its  somewhat  confused  ranks,  and  at  once  pressed  on. 
Now  came  emphatically  the  tug  of  war.  With  strain- 
ing sinews  and  grimmest  courage,  gray-haired  veterans 
and  proud-eyed  youths  fought  on  and  on,  gaining  always 
some  ground  ;  but  so  slowly  that  evening  was  at  hand 
when  the  weary  but  still  resolute  men  reached  the  fourth 
and  last  chain  of  defenses.  Here  was  displayed  as  true 
grit  as  was  ever  known  among  men.  So  fierce  was  the 
assault  that  the  rebels  could  not  hold  their  works,  and 
so  tenacious  the  defense  that  the  national  forces  could 
not  occupy  them;  and  there  stood  an  empty  fort  and  an 
idle  battery  between  the  lines,  which  surged  and  swayed 
and  clamored  around  them  for  hours.  But  scarcely  had 
the  favoring  darkness  come,  ere  the  Fifth  Ohio  boys 
crept  to  the  wall,  dug  through,  and  hauled  out  the  guns 
by  hand. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  while  the  second  division  of  the 
twentieth  corps  was  crossing  Pumpkin  Vine  Creek,  a 
bridge  broke  down,  completely  isolating  those  who  had 
crossed;  but  their  very  renown  shielded  them  from  at- 
tack until  help  arrived.  The  situation  was  critical.  No 
intrenching  tools  had  been  taken  over  the  stream,  and 
orders  to  recross  were  expected.  But  to  pass  away  the 


WITH  THE   TWENTIETH  ARMT  CORPS.  15 

time,  and  to  deceive  the  enemy,  the  men  went  to  work 
using  their  bayonets  and  cooking  utensils  instead  of  picks 
and  shovels,  to  dig  their  trenches.  But  this  could  not 
long  deceive  the  watchful  foe,  and  while  the  remainder 
of  the  corps  was  in  the  act  of  crossing  they  made  a 
most  furious  attack.  Having  checked  this,  the  corps 
moved  directly  on  the  well-formed  and  well-defended 
works  in  its  front.  The  fighting  was  desperate.  Gen- 
erals Sherman  and  Thomas  were  there  to  direct  the 
movement,  and  there  the  fact  was  impressed  on  all,  as 
Gen.  Hooker  has  since  said,  that  a  good  line  of  works, 
well  manned,  cannot  be  taken  by  infantry  alone.  Hav- 
ing lost  two  thousand  men,  the  movement  was  aban- 
doned, and  then  followed  seven  days  of  skirmishing,  so 
annoying  to  the  enemy  that  Johnston  fell  back  disgusted 
with  the  neighborhood.  No  language  can  adequately 
depict  the  perils  of  that  week.  All  felt  that  the  welfare 
of  their  respective  causes  was  to  be  made  sure  or  gravely 
periled  by  the  issue  of  that  field.  At  last  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  by  extending  its  flank,  pressed  the  right 
of  the  hostile  line  back,  which  then  retired  to  Dallas. 
The  twentieth  corps  was  now  placed  in  reserve  for  six 
days,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  it  moved  into  line,  reliev- 
ing the  fourth  corps,  which  took  position  further  to  the  left. 
Marching,  digging,  and  fighting,  alternately,  our  forces 
pressed  on,  and,  finally,  by  the  middle  of  June,  were  in 
line  beyond  Pine  Knob.  Here  Lieut.  Gen.  Polk  was 
killed  and  it  became  evident  that  the  dearest  hopes  of 
the  rebel  South  were  doomed  to  perish  beneath  the 
blows  of  the  sturdy  Northmen.  But  none  could  expect 


16 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


the  daring  sons  of  Dixie  to  tamely  yield  their  sectional 
claims,  cherished  so  many  years. 

Valor  and  patience  and  labor  and  diligence  and 
skill  and  blood  must  all  be  given  to  the  nation's  cause, 
by  Sherman's  noble  men,  and  lavishly  were  they  be- 
stowed. It  cost  some  of  our  regiments  full  twenty  per 

cent  of  their 
strength  to  force 
the  line  at  Pine 
Knob;  but  the 
victors  went  on 
to  seek  another 
fateful  field,  as 
light  of  spirit  and 
as  strong  of  heart 


as  the  farmer 
who  goes  to  the 
harvest  field  of 
peace. 

Lost  Mount- 
ain having  been 
abandoned,  the 
Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee advanced 


JEFFERSON    DAVIS. 

several  miles,  and  found  Johnston  preparing  to  stand. 
The  Thirteenth  New  York  Battery,  Lieutenant  Bundy 
commanding,  coming  up,  attacked  the  enemy  skillfully, 
and  won  a  reputation  among  soldiers  that  will  not  dim 
while  memory  holds  her  seat.  The  insurgent  chief  was 
forced  back  once  more.  He  then  carefully  selected  a 


WITH  THE   TWENTIETH  ARMT  CORPS.  17 

strong  line  of  defense  on  Kenesaw  Mountain.  As  the 
first  division  of  the  twentieth  corps  was  forming  its  line 
on  the  right  of  the  second,  a  large  force  was  hurled  upon 
it,  which  force  was  nearly  annihilated  by  the  artillery 
happily  at  that  moment  massed  at  the  extreme  front. 
The  unprecedented  slaughter  discouraged  the  assailants, 
and  they  retired  to  their  works,  remaining  in  them  sev- 
eral days. 

The  twentieth  corps  celebrated  the  Fourth  of  July  in 
line  of  battle,  forgetting  their  own  crowding  honors  in 
the  just  glories  of  our  hero  sires  of  1776.  Girding  up 
their  loins,  they  pressed  on  toward  the  Chattahoochee 
with  renewed  courage,  for  Atlanta,  the  Gate  City  of  the 
South  was  now  in  sight. 

In  proportion  as  victory  cheered  them,  defeat  carried 
sorrow  and  despair  to  their  opponents.  General  Hood 
was  sent  to  relieve  General  Johnston,  whose  farewell 
address  was  audible  to  our  pickets.  He  instituted  at 
once  a  more  decisive  policy,  staking  the  very  existence 
of  his  army,  and  requiring  equal  risks  on  the  part  of  his 
opponents.  Gaming  the  left  bank  of  the  Chattahoochee 
with  admirable  skill,  Sherman  approached  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  where  the  united  skill  of  both  rebel  chiefs  had 
prepared  formidable  work  for  the  intrepid  travelers. 
On  the  zoth  of  July,  the  star  corps,  while  in  order  of 
march,  was  assailed  by  the  entire  force  then  and  there 
gathered  for  the  deliverance  of  Georgia.  A  terrible 
battle  ensued.  The  Southern  troops  were  burning  to 
retrieve  their  losses,  and  felt  that  another  defeat  might 
be  fatal  to  their  cause.  Their  base  of  supplies  was  at 


18 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


hand,  and  their  entire  force  was  available.  The  ground 
was  well  adapted  for  defense.  Now,  or  never,  they  must 
crush  this  daring  invader.  To  break  his  lines  was  to 
annihilate  his  army;  to  fail  in  that  was  to  have  him  soon 
thunder  at  the  gates.  Nor  could  Sherman  now  afford 
defeat — it  was  ruin.  His  long  line  of  communication 

could  not  be  held 
a  day  after  such 
an  event.  The* 
immense  gains  of 
the  summer's  toil 
would  all  be  lost. 
A  new  campaign 
added  to  the  bur- 
dens of  the  al- 
ready heavily  la- 
den nation  could 
hardly  restore 
^  what  might  now 
be  secured  by 
persevering  en- 
ergy and  the  un- 
daunted courage 
that  had  made 
these  men  heroic. 
True,  their  ground  was  unfavorable;  they  must  stand 
the  more  stubbornly.  A  deep,  crooked  stream  was  be- 
fore them;  they  must  use  more  skill  in  crossing.  They 
could  not  form  in  line;  every  man  must  be  his  own 
support.  They  were  called  upon  to  brave  all  difficulties, 


GEN.  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 


WITH  THE  TWENTIETH  A  If  Mr  CORPS.  19 

and  they  did  it.  They  were  to  win  success  by  sacrifices, 
and  they  suffered  and  succeeded.  Peach  Tree  Creek 
was  made  one  of  the  holy  spots  where  the  nation's  chil- 
dren were  faithful  unto  death,  and  victory  planted  there 
a  laurel  that  will  never  fade.  Two  days  later  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee  was  similarly  attacked  with  similar 
results,  and  Hood  retired  to  Atlanta.  The  siege  of  the 
doomed  city  began  at  once.  The  twentieth  corps  had 
been  under  fire  more  than  one  hundred  days,  with  only 
six  days  intermission.  It  had  lost  over  thirteen  thousand 
men,  about  three-fifths  of  its  entire  number,  and  still  it 
retained  its  characteristic  energy,  and  was  a  pride  to  its 
friends  and  a  terror  to  its  foes.  Taking  its  place  in  the 
lines  about  the  city,  it  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  that 
skillful  siege.  Meantime  the  lamented  M'Pherson  (com- 
manding the  Army  of  the  Tennessee)  fell,  and  General 
Hooker  was  recommended  as  his  successor.  But  Gen- 
eral Howard  was  appointed,  and  "  Fighting  Joe"  could 
only  ask  to  be  relieved  from  duty  under  Sherman. 

General  Williams  assumed  his  command,  and  by  a 
change  afterward  made  in  the  plan  of  the  siege,  this 
trusty  corps  was  sent  to  hold  the  line  of  the  Chattahoo- 
chee,  guard  trains,  deceive  the  enemy,  and,  if  possible, 
annoy  him  while  Sherman  flanked  the  great  northern 
defenses,  and  approached  the  town  from  the  rear.  The 
corps,  there  being  now  confidence  in  every  man  belong- 
ing to  it,  stretched  out  in  line  for  nearly  ten  miles,  the 
men  being  in  some  instances  ten  or  twelve  feet  apart. 
They  held  their  position,  and  fully  answered  the  expec- 
tation of  their  commander.  When  Hood  left,  the  twen- 


20  HOW  I  KNOW. 

tieth  moved  on,  and  was  the  first  to  enter  the  fallen 
stronghold.  There  it  lay  and  recruited  while  the  re- 
mainder of  the  army  drove  Hood  to  the  arms  of  Thomas 
at  Nashville,  where  Hood  lost  his  power.  Several  thou- 
sand new  troops  joined  the  corps  at  Atlanta.  Having 
repelled  some  trifling  attacks  at  different  times,  here, 
preparations  were  made  for  another  campaign.  Where 
now?  was  a  much  mooted  question  among  the  men;  but 
the  accomplished  Sherman  suffered  friend  and  foe  alike 
to  wonder  and  conjecture.  On  the  I5th  of  November 
(1864)  we  set  out  for  the  south-east,  and  Mobile,  Savan- 
nah, Charleston,  Augusta,  Wilmington,  and  even  Rich- 
mond, were  confidently  named  as  probable  points  we 
were  to  reach.  Very  meagre  were  the  supplies  we 
carried,  and  the  rebel  papers  we  saw  from  time  to  time, 
were  filled  with  the  most  glowing  prophecies  of  our 
swift  destruction.  The  resources  of  the  country  through 
which  we  passed  were  at  once  put  under  contribution. 
The  accumulated  edibles  of  Georgia,  its  numerous  cat- 
tle, horses,  mules,  calves,  etc.,  disappeared  as  by  magic 
along  our  route.  Too  strong  to  be  stopped  or  seriously 
hindered  by  any  effort  the  foe  could  make,  four  co-oper- 
ating corps  swept  along,  and  the  great  raid  became  the 
most  magnificent  march  of  modern  history.  Our  ex- 
perience was  more  like  that  of  a  band  of  mischievous 
travelers  than  an  invading  army.  Destroying  railroads, 
cotton  gins,  warehouses,  and  bridges;  making  roads 
across  plantations  and  through  swamps,  and  marching 
leisurely  on  with  song  and  shout,  and  endless  badinage; 
foraging,  cooking,  and  eating  alternated  with  each  other 


WITH  THE   TWENTIETH  ARMT  CORPS. 


21 


through  the  entire  thirty  days  we  spent  in  reaching  the 
defenses  of  Savannah.  Our  corps  was  assigned  the 
direct  approach  by  the  Augusta  pike,  with  the  fourteenth 
as  reserve,  and  twelve  miles  from  the  city  the  outer 
defense  was  carried  gallantly  after  a  very  brief  ac- 
tion. The  next  line,  five  miles  from  town,  was  its 
real  reliance. 

The  complete  destitution  of  the  troops,  in  respect  to 
some  important  supplies,  caused  comparative  inactivity 
until  the  fall  of 
M'Allister  open- 
ed  a  line  for 
supplies.  Then 
heavy  fatigue 
parties  were 
employed  in  the 
raising  of  coun- 
ter works,  which 
were  scarcely 

begun  before  SHERMAN'S  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA. 

Hardee  evacuated  the  place.  No  sooner  had  his  sharp- 
shooters crept  away  from  the  outer  rifle  pits  than  an 
enterprising  New  Yorker  crept  into  them,  and  hurrying 
back,  roused  his  officers  with  the  welcome  intelligence. 
Wonderful  was  the  forbearance  of  the  victorious 
warriors.  General  Sherman  alludes  to  it,  in  his  report, 
as  a  most  gratifying  proof  of  their  good  discipline.  The 
citizens,  terrified  by  the  horrible  tales  with  which  South- 
ern editors  had  tried  to  fire  the  Southern  heart,  seemed 
to  expect  barbarities  almost  unendurable.  Their  own 


22 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


soldiers  had  wantonly  murdered  many  negroes  during 
the  night,  for  manifesting  joy  at  the  coming  of  the 
Yankees.  Nearly  the  whole  day  was  spent  arranging 
and  stationing  the  usual  guard,  during  which  the  city  lay 
completely  at  the  mercy  of  our  men.  The  conduct  of 
these  sons  of  our  free  civilization  in  that  hour,  furnished 

testimony  in  favor 
of  liberty  and  equal 
rights  that  the 
people  of  Savan- 
nah should  never 
forget.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  ar- 
my subsequently 
took  position  in  the 
vicinity.  On  our 
departure,  six 
weeks  later,  the 
|  reiterated  regrets 
of  the  citizens  was 
a  most  honorable 
proof  of  general 
good  conduct. 
Earnest  public  ef- 
forts were  made  to  retain  the  second  division  of  the 
twentieth  corps  as  a  city  guard.  But  it  had  proved 
itself  too  useful  in  the  field  to  be  excused  from  aiding 
in  the  great  effort  soon  to  be  made. 

Moving  up  the  river  in  the  latter  part  of  January  the 
army  crossed   into   South   Carolina,   and   entered  with 


GEN.  ROBT.  E.  LEE. 


WITH  THE   TWENTIETH  ARMT  CORPS.  £3 

more  than  usual  energy  upon  the  work  of  devastation. 
For  a  considerable  distance  hardly  anything  combustible 
was  left  unburned.  Neither  strength  nor  weakness, 
wealth  nor  poverty  could  shield  the  luckless  citizens  of 
the  Mother  of  Secession  from  the  hot  zeal  of  the  aveng- 
ers. Gradually,  however,  passion  subsided,  and  a  calm, 
quiet  resolve  to  enforce  justice  and  right  took  its  place, 
and  then  more  discrimination  marked  our  deeds.  By 
the  time  we  reached  Winnsborough,  February  the  2oth, 
even  Wade  Hampton  had  learned  the  disposition  of  our 
men  so  well  as  to  assure  the  citizens,  by  letter,  that  "  If 
the  twentieth  corps  occupy  the  place,  private  rights  will 
be  respected."  His  confidence  was  not  misplaced.  A 
feeling  of  mutual  respect,  based  on  profound  self-respect, 
seemed  to  pervade  both  citizens  and  soldiers,  and  our 
stay  there  will  ever  be  one  of  the  most  agreeable  mem- 
ories of  the  campaign.  We  now  pushed  more  to  the 
eastward,  and  a  monotonous  journey  succeeded.  Cross- 
ing the  Catawba  during  a  dark,  rainy  night,  we  moved 
on  to  Cheraw,  crossed  the  Great  Pedee,  and  three  days 
later  entered  North  Carolina.  Here  a  general  order  was 
published,  reminding  the  army  of  the  greater  loyalty  of 
the  old  North  State,  and  recommending  a  milder  pol- 
icy. A  few  days  later  we  reached  Fayetteville,  and 
from  that  point  dispatched  a  mail. 

Much  rain  had  made  the  roads  heavy,  and  the  trains 
were  therefore  sent  to  Goldsborough  for  supplies,  wThile 
the  main  portion  of  the  second  corps  was  sent  up  the  Ra- 
leigh plank  road.  At  Averysborough  the  long-cherished 
plans  of  Joe  Johnston  were  proved  futile,  his  army  badly 


now  i  KNOW. 


punished,  and  the  old  reputation  of  our  corps  honorably 
sustained.  At  Bentonville  the  disheartened  leaders  of 
the  rebellion  made  their  last  despairing,  wild,  but  fruit- 
less stand  before  Sherman's  troops.  For  a  little  time 
their  assault  showed  something  of  their  ancient  vigor ; 
but,  as  our  scattered  forces  came  flocking  to  the  field, 

their  discretion 
prevailed,  and  they 
retired.  After  rest- 
ing a  few  days  at 
G  o  1  dsborough  to 
refit,  we  hurried  on 
to  Raleigh.  The 
foe  seemed  intent 
only  on  necessary 
flight.  Here  we 
received  their 
very  welcome  sur- 
render. 

And  now,  having 
finished  the  work 
assigned  us,  and 
brought  again  ev- 
ery portion  of  our 
beloved  country  under  the  control  of  the  national  arms, 
we  gladly  turned  toward  home,  loving  the  arts  and  du- 
ties of  peace  far  better  than  the  harsh  scenes  of  war. 
Reaching  Washington,  the  twentieth  corps  participated 
in  the  grand  review,  and  won  high  compliments  from 
the  spectators.  An  impartial  writer  has  declared  the 


GEN.  U.  S.  GRANT. 


WITH  THE  TWENTIETH  ARMT  CORPS.  25 

second  division  of  the  corps  the  crack  division  of  the 
vast  assemblage.  A  few  days  later  the  corps  was  dis- 
banded, and  now  most  of  its  noble  members  are  enjoy- 
ing the  well  earned  comforts  of  the  homes  they  so  val- 
orously  defended.  May  they  long  live  to  recount  their 
great  achievements,  and  to  perpetuate  in  narrative,  and 
song  the  memories  of  their  brave  fellows  who  fell  in  the 
conflict,  and  who  sleep  everywhere  from  Maryland  to 
Mississippi. 


26  HOW  I  KNOW. 


CHAPTER  II. 

UTAH    AND   THE   MORMONS. 

RETURNING  home  at  the  close  of  the  war,  I  re- 
mained for  nearly  two  years,  a  portion  of  the  time 
with  my  father,  and  the  remainder  with  friends  in  Mad- 
ison County,  Ohio.  This  period  I  will  pass  over  with- 
out further  notice. 

In  1863  an  uncle,  my  mother's  brother,  went  to  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  continually  writing  for  me  to  come  to 
him.  I  hesitated  a  long  time.  Finally  he  became,  as 
he  thought,  permanently  located  in  Piute  County,  Utah 
Territory.  Then  he  again  wrote  me,  holding  out  in- 
ducements so  strong  that  I  could  no  longer  resist.  He 
wrote  to  his  brothers  and  to  me  of  the  enormous  for- 
tunes that  were  made  in  a  few  days  ( like  Jonah's  gourd, 
that  sprung  up  in  a  night),  and  that  people  who  would 
or  did  come  there  would  amass  fortunes  ten  and  twenty 
times  faster  than  they  could  in  Ohio. 

Consequently  I  could  not  rest  satisfied  until  I  had 
turned  all  my  resources  into  cash,  and  the  Fall  of  '68 
found  me  in  Utah,  in  a  new  mining  camp  located  two 
hundred  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  I  was  green 
in  the  business  of  mining.  I  had  some  money;  but  I 
loaned  it  to  uncle  and  his  friends.  The  consequence 
was,  I  must  work  or  starve.  This  now  brings  me  up 
to  the  beginning  of  a  three  years'  sojourn  in  Utah. 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS.  27 

Utah  is  situated  in  the  great  basin  between  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  the  East  and  the  Sierra  Nevada 
on  the  West.  Some  of  the  valleys  owned  and  worked 
by  the  Mormon  saints  are  as  fertile  as  any  on  the  conti- 
nent. They  raise  everything  for  their  own  use,  and 
have  considerable  of  an  export  trade  with  the  adjacent 
States  and  Territories.  But,  for  all  that,  I  found  it  was 
as  much  as  people  could  do  to  live  there,  for  the  Terri- 
tory was  populated  with  fanatics,  and  unless  you  were 
one  of  their  creed,  and  agreed  with  them  in  their  wild 
notions,  you  were  liable  to  be  forever  lost  unless  you 
passed  through  the  ordeal  of  Blood  Atonement.  You 
should  be  murdered  for  the  remission  of  your  sins. 
And  they  were  careful  that  this  should  be  done  in  se- 
cret. Not  that  the  chosen  of  the  Lord  should  operate 
with  deadly  revenge,  on  dark  nights;  but  that  the  per- 
petrators of  their  criminal  deeds  might  be  the  better 
concealed  from  the  eyes  of  the  Law  and  of  the  Christian 
world.  Unless  persons  residing  there  were  of  their 
faith,  or  upheld  them  in  their  deeds  of  violence,  such  as 
murdering,  stealing,  and  burning  the  property  belonging 
to  the  Gentiles,  they  were  regarded  as  evil  doers,  by  the 
Mormon  profession.  Violent  acts,  fully  premeditated, 
and  without  any  cause  or  provocation  whatever,  were 
committed  time  and  again;  were  almost  daily  occur- 
rences, indeed.  Numbers  of  instances  could  I  mention, 
but  they  have  been  fully  narrated  heretofore  by  others, 
such  as  following  up  and  murdering  in  the  most  brutal 
manner,  one  whole  emigrant  train  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  who  were  on  their  way  to  California. 


28 


HOW  1  KNOW. 


To  this  day  their  bones  lie  bleaching  in  the  sun.  Some 
claim  that  they  did  have  a  burial;  but,  judging  from 
appearances  and  the  manner  in  which  I  saw  the  bones 
lying  scattered  over  the  plain,  it  would  be  very  difficult 
for  Brigham  Young,  Haight,  Higbee,  and  Delee,  and 
their  hordes  of  destroying  angels  to  verify  the  statement 


MOUNTAIN    MEADOW    MASSACRE. 


that  they  did  bury  those  that  were  massacred  at  Mount- 
ain Meadow. 

Taking  a  view  of  the  picturesque  and  beautiful  land- 
scapes which  compose  the  Mountain  Meadows,  one 
would  hardly  think  that  this  had  been  the  scene  of  such 
a  wanton  outrage.  But  this  was  no  worse  than  hun- 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS,  29 

dreds  of  others.  Several  incidents  have  come  under 
my  own  observation.  One  I  may  mention,  occurred  in 
Manti,  San  Pete  County.  There  was  a  young  man  living 
there  who  had  become  entangled  in  a  love  affair  with  a 
young  lady  of  the  same  place.  It  so  happened  that 

Bishop  S ,  of  the  precinct,  had  had  revelations;  that 

is,  the  Lord  had  commanded  him  to  take  this  young  lady 
as  his  wife,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  had  several 
wives  already.  The  bishop  tried  to  reason  the  young 
lady  out  of  having  anything  to  say  to  the  young  man. 
But  the  fact  was,  the  young  couple  were  engaged  to  be 
married;  and  the  bishop,  finding  that  loving  words  to 
his  desired  darling  were  of  no  avail,  resolved  not  to  be 
outdone,  but  to  seek  revenge  on  the  young  man.  Con- 
sequently he  had  a  secret  conference  with  a  few  of  the 
brethren,  and  they  decided  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the 
school-house,  which  meeting  the  young  man  should  be 
prevailed  upon  to  attend.  At  this  meeting  these  plot- 
ters in  a  most  cruel  manner  destroyed  the  manhood  of 
the  young  man.  He,  after  lingering  some  time  in  great 
suffering,  died.  Several  instances  of  like  character  have 
taken  place  in  Utah,  all  in  obedience  to  the  "revelations 
of  the  Lord,"  as  given  to  those  whose  lives  have  been 
passed  worse  than  brutes  of  the  field.  Another  way  of 
seeking  revenge  is  for  some  one  to  sell  horses  or  cattle 
to  one  not  belonging  to  the  faith.  Then  officers  are 
sent  to  arrest  him  for  stealing.  He  is  certain  to  receive 
no  mercy,  because  they  will  murder  him  on  the  road 
to  trial,  and  make  a  report  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
been  some  desperado  of  the  worst  dye.  The  case  of 


30  HOW  I  KNOW. 

D.  P.  Smith,  of  Piute  County,  is  a  good  illustration.  He 
bought  a  span  of  mules  from  a  certain  saint  who  resided 
in  Ogden,  a  settlement  thirty-six  miles  north  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  and  took  them  to  the  mines  on  the  Sevier 
River.  They  followed  and  arrested  him  on  the  charge 
of  stealing  the  mules,  .and  started  to  take  him  to  the  city 
for  trial.  They  soon  became  tired  of  him,  and,  after 
hauling  him  twenty-five  miles,  they  shot  him,  and  buried 
the  body  in  an  old  manure  bank. 

One  more  illustration  of  their  saintliness.  Captain 
Hawley,  now  living  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah,  hired  a 
young  man  of  seventeen  years  of  age  to  work  for  him. 
After  the  young  fellow  had  labored  six  months  Captain 
Hawley  paid  him  off  with  an  old  horse  that  was  not 
worth  a  cent,  since  good  broncos  were  selling  at  only 
ten  and  twelve  dollars  a  piece.  The  young  fellow,  glad 
to  get  anything,  took  the  horse,  and  started  toward 
Corinne.  Captain  Hawley  waited  a  sufficient  time  for  his 
victim  to  get  well  on  his  way,  then  got  the  sheriff  and  fol- 
lowed and  arrested  him,  before  he  had  reached  Corinne, 
on  the  charge  of  having  stolen  the  horse.  The  Mormons, 
being  so  bitterly  opposed  to  worldly  immigration  into 
Utah,  would  charge  any  criminal  offense  against  a  Gen- 
tile already  in  the  Territory.  So  it  was  with  the  young 
man  with  the  horse.  He  was  taken  to  the  nearest  tree 
and  hung  by  the  neck,  his  hands  being  untied.  When 
he  was  swung  off  he  commenced  to  climb  the  rope 
hand  over  hand.  Captain  Hawley  then  took  a  small 
cedar  post  that  lay  there  and  broke  both  of  the  young 
man's  arms,  and,  after  pounding  him  with  the  club  until 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS. 


31 


satisfied,  he  rode  off  and  left  the  poor  fellow  to  the 
mercy  of  some  one  who  could  show  enough  sympathy 
for  such  unfortunates  to  give  him  a  burial. 

The  people  in  Utah  who  piofess  to  belong  to  the 
Mormon  Church  are  two-thirds  of  them  direct  from  Eu- 
rope (Danes  and  Swedes  being  largely  in  the  majority), 
and  among  the  most  of  them  ignorance  predominates. 
I  have  seen  in  Southern  Utah  the  women  out  plowing 
with  cattle,  breaking  up  the  ground,  harrowing  and 
seeding  it,  and  tending  and  gathering  their  crops,  while 
the  men  were 
too  shiftless  t  o 
either  help  them 
or  otherwise  to 
provide  suste- 
nance for  their 
household. 

Hundreds  of 
them  live  in 
adobe  houses.  These  are  made  by  mixing  black  earth 
to  the  consistency  of  thick  mud  and  forming  it  into  very 
large-sized  blocks  shaped  like  bricks.  Then  they  are 
spread  over  a  piece  of  ground  leveled  off  for  the  pur- 
pose, there  to  be  sun-dried,  when  they  are  considered 
fit  material  of  which  to  build  their  houses.  Then  they 
go  to  the  canon  and  there  cut  small  straight  poles 
for  the  roof.  The  poles  are  laid  along  the  sides  of  the 
house,  one  end  resting  on  a  large  log  that  is  laid  up 
for  a  center  beam,  the  other  on  the  top  of  the  adobe 
wall;  after  which  they  mix  more  mud  and  water  together 


MORMON    PERSECUTION. 


32  HOW  I  KNOW. 

and  plaster  these  poles  all  over.  This  forms  the  roof. 
Shingle  and  all  other  expensive  roofs  are  dispensed  with. 
Here  in  those  castles  the  saints  have  their  wives  brush- 
ing up  their  dirt  floors,  washing,  mending,  ironing,  cook- 
ing and  indeed  providing  for  the  support  of  the  house- 
hold, while  they  themselves  spend  their  time  in  receiving 
revelations  from  the  Lord  regarding  the  future  prosper- 
ity of  Mormondom  and  the  number  of  additional  wives 
it  would  be  necessary  to  take  in  order  to  obtain  celestial 
glory. 

The  following  illustration  is  given  to  convey  some  idea 
of  marriage  in  Utah.  A  certain  Mr.  Buntz,  who  is  now 
living  in  San  Pete  County,  Utah,  received  a  revelation 
from  the  Lord,  as  he  claimed,  that,  notwithstanding  he 
had  already  a  number  of  wives,  he  must  still  increase 
his  better  half  by  taking  to  his  arms  and  marrying  three 
sisters  who  were  living  near  by.  He  married  all  three 
at  one  and  the  same  time  with  as  much  unconcern  as  if 
it  were  an  every-day  occurrence.  Another  instance  I 
will  notice.  There  wras  a  certain  bishop  then  living  in 
Provost  City,  who  became  enamored  with  a  married 
lady  of  one  of  the  adjoining  villages.  In  order  to  obtain 
his  sixth  loved  one  he  went  to  the  lady's  husband,  and 
there  in  pleading  tones  he  narrated  the  revelations  he 
had  received  from  the  Lord,  setting  forth  the  way  in 
which  he  must  do  in  order  to  receive  his  share  of  celes- 
tial glory  in  the  world  to  come.  The  husband  listened 
very  attentively  until  the  bishop  had  finished  his  request; 
then,  in  a  good-natured  way,  he  showed  him  the  fallacy 
of  such  proceedings  both  in  a  moral  and  religious  view. 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS.  33 

But  the  bishop  was  not  to  be  argued  out  of  his  hope  of 
celestial  happiness.  That  night  the  husband  was  fol- 
lowed and  murdered  in  cold  blood  upon  his  own  door- 
step. Some  who  read  this  may  think  that  I  am  overstat- 
ing the  facts.  Indeed  such  is  not  the  case  ;  for  I  have 
given  only  a  few  instances  when  I  could  recount  more 
than  one  hundred  such,  most  of  which  can  be  verified 
by  many  who  are  still  living  in  Utah,  and  in  surrounding 
States  and  Territories. 

I  will  next  speak  of  the  scenery.  In  traveling  through 
Utah  from  the  north-east  you  are  constantly  passing  into 
and  out  of  canons  with  mountains  on  either  side,  tower- 
ing for  thousands  of  feet  above  you.  These  mountain 
sides,  where  not  too  rocky  and  abrupt,  are  covered  with 
a  dense  growth  of  timber,  while  between  the  mountains 
in  the  canons  are  clear  running  brooks  of  cold  water,  in 
most  of  which  trout  abound. 

In  traveling  along  one  frequently  passes  alkaline 
springs,  boiling  springs,  and  springs  of  almost  freezing 
water  oftentimes  located  only  a  few  feet  apart.  Many 
of  these  springs  are  intermittent  in  their  action  and  they 
are  all  a  source  of  unfailing  interest  to  the  traveler  and 
geologist. 

The  Jordan  River  and  City  Creek  run  through  the 
city  of  Salt  Lake,  affording  an  abundant  supply  of  the 
purest  water  in  any  city  as  large  as  this,  in  the  world. 
Most  beautiful  trout  are  hooked  out  of  the  streams,  by 
the  little  boys,  right  in  the  street. 

After  leaving  Salt.  Lake  City,  going  south,  one  is 
struck  with  the  prominence  of  the  old  Wasatch  range, 

3 


34  HOW  I  KNOW. 

now  ascending  gradually,  then  rising  abruptly  in  broken, 
rough,  and  dangerous  looking  precipices.  At  other 
places  it  looks  as  if  the  country  had  been  inundated  with 
water,  and  the  rock,  being  in  some  places'  softer  than  its 
connecting  sides,  had  been  worn  away,  leaving  canons 
of  all  shapes,  depths,  and  lengths.  t 

The  valleys  through  Juab  and  San  Pete  Counties  are 
made  very  productive  by  irrigation.     This  is  done  by 

taking  water  and  con- 
ducting  it  through 
ditches  all  over  the  land 
under  cultivation.  After 
their  crops  are  planted, 
and  it  becomes  necessa- 
ry to  moisten  the  ground, 
the  water  is  turned  into 
these  small  ditches  and 
left  running  until  the 
earth  is  sufficiently  moist- 
ened, when  it  is  shut  off 
BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  until  it  becomes  neces- 

sary to  repeat  the  operation.  The  valleys  are  of  a  dark, 
loamy  soil  mixed  with  sand,  and  before  they  are  brought 
under  cultivation  are  covered  with  sage  brush — a  small 
scrubby  bush  that  grows  sometimes  to  the  height  of  six 
feet.  It  is  found  from  the  British  possessions  on  the 
the  North  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  South.  All  the 
valleys  and  plains  throughout  the  mountains  of  the  West 
produce  the  sage  bush  in  great  abundance.  The  sage 
bush  is  the  home  of  the  jack-rabbit.  Dozens  of  them 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS.  35 

may  be  seen  at  any  time  running  in  all  directions  from 
the  traveler,  as  he  journeys  over  the  plains. 

Some  of  the  loftiest  peaks  of  Utah  can  be  seen  at  a 
distance  of  many  miles.  Mt.  Nebo  is  as  prominent  as 
any,  with  an  elevation  of  a  little  over  twelve  thousand 
feet.  As  the  traveler  journeys  on  South,  through  the 
Territory,  he  travels  over  sandy  deserts,  unsettled  and 
uncultivated,  except  in  a  few  places  where  the  streams 
flow  through  from  the  mountains,  furnishing  water  suffi- 
cient for  irrigating  purposes.  Generally  along  these 
streams  a  few  of  the  saints  have  settled  in  adobe  houses, 
built  after  their  own  fashion,  usually  surrounded  by  a 
stone  wall  built  in  the  form  of  a  square,  and  often  con- 
taining as  much  as  an  acre  of  land.  Into  this  they 
remove  their  families,  and  use  it  as  a  fortress  in  defend- 
ing themselves  against  the  Indians,  when  they  make 
their  raids  through  the  settlements. 

The  bench  lands  all  over  the  Territory  produce  great 
quantities  of  bunch  grass,  a  very  nutritious  grass  that 
grows  to  the  height  of  eighteen  inches,  and  in  bunches. 
In  passing  through  the  Territory  you  see  thousands  and 
thousands  of  cattle  feeding  upon  this  grass.  The  val- 
leys are  productive  of  no  timber  whatever,  unless  it  be 
a  few  scattering  cottonwoods  along  the  banks  of  the 
streams.  But  sufficient  timber  grows  in  the  mountains 
for  all  necessary  purposes.  Mahogany  and  cedar  con- 
stitute the  kinds  that  grow  on  that  side  of  the  ranges 
lacing  the  South,  while  the  pine,  fir,  spruce,  balsam, 
and  small  scrub-oaks,  with  a  few  more  scrubby  little 
bushes,  constitute  the  timber  on  the  North  slope. 


36  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Mines  were  discovered  in  Utah  years  ago;  but  owing 
to  the  influences  brought  to  bear  by  the  Mormon 
leaders  upon  their  not  so  well  enlightened  followers, 
mining  was  prohibited  within  the  limits  of  the  Territory. 
But  as  time  passed  on,  and  people  began  to  emigrate  to 
the  West  in  greater  numbers,  crowding  full  the  older 
places,  and  seeking  for  newer  fields,  where  fortunes 
might  be  dug  from  the  earth,  at  last,  and  in  the  face  of 
all  opposition  from  the  Mormons,  prospecting  and  min- 
ing throughout  the  Territory  began.  So  that  to-day 
thousands  of  honest,  hard-working  miners  can  be  seen 
toiling  and  striving  for  the  treasures  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  other  minerals  that  lie  buried  underneath  the  surface 
earth  of  Utah.  Notwithstanding  the  many  difficulties 
that  the  pioneer  miners  of  the  Territory  had  to  encoun- 
ter and  overcome,  some  of  them  have  done  extremely 
well.  And  now  some  who  were  so  bitterly  opposed  to 
opening  up  mines  there,  finding  it  useless  to  resist  the 
fast  growing  population  of  miners,  are  zealously  engaged, 
themselves,  in  opening  up  some  of  the  Territory's  pre- 
cious wealth. 

Gold,  silver,  lead,  copper,  zinc,  iron,  salt,  and  a  few 
other  minerals  are  found  in  many  parts  of  the  Territory 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  leave  a  balance  over  all  expen- 
ditures in  running  them. 

At  different  places  throughout  the  Territory,  salt  is 
found  in  the  mountains,  and  is  easily  taken  out  and 
refined.  Large  deposits  of  coal  are  found  in  various 
places  throughout  the  Territory. 

While   in   Utah  my  home   was   in    a   mining    camp 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS. 


37 


located  on  Sevier  River.  A  great  number  of  locations 
was  recorded.  The  recorder  was  kept  busy  writing 
out  and  recording  claims,  as  people  would  do  nothing 
but  locate  and  then  record.  I  often  times  thought  to 
myself,  "What  will  this  amount  to?"  But  green  as  I 


THE    MORMON    TABERNACLE. 


was,  I  could  only  do  as  others  did.  I  then  knew  no 
more  about  mining  than  a  two-year-old  boy  knows  about 
making  an  arasta,  or  quartz  mill.  I  worked  a  few  days 
and  obtained  a  little  money — enough  for  a  grub-stake — 
then  I  went  to  hunting  for  hidden  millions,  along  with 


38  HOW  I  KNOW. 

others.  I  would  write  out  a  notice  and  post  it  up  on 
everything  that  my  ignorance  claimed  as  a  very  valuable 
mine.  It  was  only  a  short  time  until  every  bowlder  and 
pile  of  rocks  for  miles  around  the  camping  spot  was 
located  and  recorded.  The  recorder  would  most  always, 
do  the  work  of  recording,  and  wait  for  his  fees  until  the 
mine  became  a  paying  property.  And  I  rather  think  that 
the  recorder  of  Ohio  District  is  yet  waiting,  like  Micaw- 
ber,  for  some  of  the  miners  that  located  there  to  turn  up. 

It  would  sometimes  happen  that  two  or  more  notices 
would  be  found  on  the  same  bowlder.  Then  war  would 
be  the  result.  A  mine  is  of  no  value  until  a  few  per- 
sons are  butchered  over  it,  in  an  effort  to  determine  the 
question  as  to  who  shall  be  the  possessor  of  it. 

Thousands  of  locations  are  made  throughout  the 
mountains,  when  work  to  the  amount  of  one  dollar  has 
not  been  done  upon  them;  yet  the  location  is  named, 
filed,  and  recorded,  and  the  worthy  claimant  struts 
around  and  talks  of  his  mine  as  though  it  were  worth 
thousands,  when  in  reality  it  is  not  worth  the  paper  he 
has  soiled  in  writing  the  notice.  But  stay  with  your 
mine,  pard,  you  may  sell  it  for  several  thousand  yet.  It 
is  very  easy  to  tell  a  prospector  from  any  one  else.  The 
prospector  always  has  his  pockets  full  of  rocks  of  all 
sizes,  shapes,  colors,  and  kinds,  each  piece  of  which  he 
will  tell  you  the  nature  of,  the  probability  of  its  value, 
and  all  the  different  combinations  of  mineral  that  it  con- 
tains, with  as  much  ease,  and  all  the  grace  of  a  first- 
class  mineralogist.  If  he  is  not  able  to  do  this  he  is  a 
"  tenderfoot,"  and  has  much  to  learn  in  the  art  of  min- 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS.  39 

ing.  To  prospect  successfully  he  should  send  to  some 
friend  in  California  and  have  some  very  rich  specimens 
of  gold  rock  sent  to  him.  Then,  if  he  keeps  his  little 
tongue  in  the  right  channel,  the  whole  camp  is  soon  on 
its  feet,  anxious  to  see  a  specimen  of  the  richest  gold- 
bearing  quartz  rock  that  was  ever  heard  of;  and  the 
next  day,  and  for  days  after,  the  lucky  miner  is  watched 
in  his  every  movement,  to  see  in  what  direction  he  leaves 
camp.  He  is  then  still  watched  and  carefully  trailed. 

Miners  in  well  doing  are  the  most  excitable  of  men. 
Often  and  often  will  they  leave  mines  or  claims  that  pay 
well,  to  go  to  a  distance,  led  by  some  new  excitement; 
and  when  they  arrive  there  it  frequently  happens  that  they 
find  nothing  but  disappointment  and  starvation  staring 
them  in  the  face.  The  White  Pine  excitement,  in  Ne- 
vada, is  a  good  illustration.  Hundreds  flocked  there  to 
spend  the  last  cent  they  had,  and  then  to  leave,  packing 
their  blankets  on  their  backs;  that  is,  they  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  have  blankets,  for  hundreds  had  not 
even  a  meal's  provisions  to  serve  them  on  their  exit 
from  what  a  few  days  before  was  supposed  to  be  one  of 
the  richest  camps  the  world  had  ever  seen. 

A  miner's  fortune  is  like  a  mushroom — it  springs  up 
where  least  expected,  then  again  it  vanishes  with  as  great 
rapidity  as  it  came.  I  shall  always  remember  the  first 
mine  I  endeavored  to  work  for  myself.  After  prospect- 
ing for  two  months  on  all  quarters  of  the  compass  from 
Bullion  City,  the  mining  town  I  was  holding  responsible 
for  my  bed  and  board,  I  at  last  resolved  to  go  to  work 
on  what  I  supposed  the  best  of  my  many  locations.  So 


40 


now  i  KNOW. 


I  laid  in  a  supply  of  drills,  hammers,  powder  and  fuse, 
and  hired  a  man  to  work  with  me  for  four  dollars  a  day. 
Then,  after  spending  a  day  surveying  the  location  and 
arguing  the  many  advantages  one  spot  had  over  another 
for  working,  we  at  last  concluded  that  the  cheapest  and 
best  way  to  work  the  mine  advantageously  was  to  go 
down  below  the  mine  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain  and 


NEW  MINING  TOWN. 


run  a  tunnel  in  until  we  struck  the  vein,  then  we  would 
be  at  a  sufficient  depth  to  ascertain  the  value  of  our 
ore.  So  we  spent  the  whole  day,  and  did  nothing  ex- 
cept to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  a  tunnel  was  the 
cheapest  and  best  method,  and  that  by  running  in 
twenty  feet  we  could  tap  the  lead  at  about  that  or  a 
little  greater  depth,  and  that  the  next  morning  we  would 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS.  41 

begin  digging  the  tunnel.  After  digging,  picking,  drill- 
ing and  blasting  one  month  we  had  run  a  tunnel  in 
twenty-seven  feet  and  had  found  no  ledge.  Then  what 
to  do  I  did  not  know,  for  my  money  was  exhausted  and 
I  had  been  running  in  debt  at  the  store  for  provisions 
two  weeks.  At  last  I  resolved  to  have  some  older,  ex- 
perienced miners  to  go  up  with  me  and  see  my  claim 
and  give  me  some  idea  of  what  I  should  do  in  order  to 
show  up  my  vein  of  ore,  for  I  was  sure  it  was  there 
some  place,  and  plain  to  be  seen  on  top  I  thought. 
Some  said  I  was  working  it  right;  others  were  doubt- 
ful. At  last  one  of  them  agreed  to  come  the  next 
morning  and  to  help  me  work  some  on  it  from  the  top 
in  exchange  for  work,  which  I  accepted. 

The  next  morning  found  me  on  the  ground  as  usual, 
but  not  to  tunnel.  I  was  now  about  to  sink  a  shaft 
right  down  on  what  I  considered  to  be  the  vein.  After 
spending  the  day  in  prying  around  large  rocks  and 
pushing  off  smaller  ones,  we  were  ready  to  begin  sink- 
ing the  next  morning.  Before  noon  we  had  sunk  a 
shaft  clear  through  my  mine,  and  there  was  now  no 
more  of  an  indication  left  than  there  is  on  a  barn  floor. 
So  I  was  out  about  three  hundred  dollars  in  time, 
money,  and  provisions,  not  counting  my  tools  in,  for  I 
still  had  them — all  because  I  was  no  miner,  but  simply 
wanted  to  do  something  I  knew  nothing  about.  This 
was  my  first  out  in  mining. 

But  I  remained  by  no  means  an  idle  prospector,  show- 
ing nothing  but  notices' on  file.  A  company  often  of  us 
went  in  on  the  Webster  Location  Lode,  and  we  located 


42  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

all  of  the  available  ground  that  the  law  specified  we 
should  have  and  more  too,  and  then  went  to  work  on  it, 
some  of  my  partners  expecting  to  sell  out  in  a  few  days 
for  fabulous  amounts.  But  my  courage  was  none  of 
the  best  in  developing;  for  my  first  work  spent  in  tun- 
neling had  proved  such  an  entire  failure.  We  had  hard 
rock  to  blast,  and  progress  was  slow.  At  a  called  meet- 
ing of  the  members  of  the  company,  we  concluded  to 
put  in  the  remainder  of  the  work  done  in  developing  by 
sinking  a  shaft  parallel  with  the  vein.  We  got  along  very 
well  with  this  until  we  had  attained  the  depth  of  fifty  or 
sixty  feet,  when  the  walls  became  scaly  and  we  had  to 
timber  the  shaft.  Then  the  water  came  in  in  torrents, 
which  had  to  be  kept  out,  and  the  consequence  was  our 
progress  was  so  impeded  that  we  were  two  years  sink- 
ing on  the  Webster  Lode  and  only  obtained  a  depth  of 
two  hundred  feet.  I  always  will  think  it  is  a  good  mine, 
could  it  be  worked  with  any  reasonable  expense;  but  it 
can  not.  So  there  it  lies  yet  with  no  one  doing  any- 
thing with  it. 

Thus  it  is  with  thousands  of  others  who  have  located 
and  worked  claims  until  they  were  satisfied  that  the 
mineral  extracted  from  the  lead  would  not  pay  expenses 
of  labor  and  cost  of  milling,  and  have  abandoned  claims 
that  sometimes  assay  hundreds  of  dollars  to  the  ton.  In 
this  way  prospecting  is  going  on  all  over  the  West  and 
not  one  mine  out  of  every  ten  thousand  that  is  located 
and  even  put  on  file  in  the  county  or  district  clerk's  office 
ever  pays  back  the  cost  of  expenditures,  counting  money, 
time,  provisions,  tools,  and  all  other  necessary  expenses. 


UTAH  AND  THE  MORMONS.  43 

It  can,  therefore,  plainly  be  seen  that  all  men  can  not 
make  a  fortune  mining;  but  the  majority  of  people  that 
are  carried  away  by  mining  excitements  rush  in  pell- 
mell,  without  ever  taking  time  to  think  what  they  can 
or  will  do  when  they  get  there.  They  seem  to  think 
that  the  precious  metals  are  lying  around  in  quantities 
sufficient  for  them  to  amass  enormous  fortunes,  so  that 
they  may  live  at  ease  and  in  luxury  and  splendor  the 
balance  of  their  lives;  and  all  this  is  to  be  obtained 
within  a  short  time  and  at  little  or  no  expense,  merely 
expecting  to  shovel  the  gravel  into  a  sluice  box,  or  by 
some  other  method  to  separate  the  gold  from  the  mother 
earth.  Now,  friends,  this  is  all  a  mistake.  Where  one 
man  reaps  a  fortune  in  a  mining  field,  scores  are  retiring 
to  hunt  some  other  place  where  the  chance  would  seem 
better  in  their  favor,  and  they  will  never  find  it.  Mining 
is  a  legitimate  business,  as  much  so  as  farming  or  any 
other  branch  of  industry  that  one  might  engage  in.  But 
yet  there  is  more  chance  work  connected  with  mining 
than  with  all  the  other  different  pursuits  of  business.  I 
am  well  aware  there  are  a  great  many  writing  to  the 
contrary,  and  I  would  not  wish  to  try  to  dissuade  any 
one  from  mining ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  go  if  you  want 
to.  There  is  yet  plenty  to  learn.  Hundreds  will  go  to 
the  West,  expecting  to  make  their  mark  in  some  pro- 
fession where  shrewdness  and  education  are  required. 
They  will  find  all  the  professions  full  and  much  more 
so  than  is  needed.  Some  want  to  know  where  to  go. 
Bear  patiently  with  me  and  I  will  show  you  where  there 
is  yet  room  before  I  come  to  the  end  of  this  book. 


44  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Mining,  when  you  are  on  a  good  mine,  is  an  invest- 
ment or  enterprise  that  surpasses  all  other  enterprises 
that  I  know  of  as  a  high  road  to  fortune.  Thousands  of 
dollars  have  rewarded  the  sturdy  prospector  in  some  in- 
stances in  a  single  day.  But  the  day  is  past  when  the 
miner  can  take  up  his  pan  and  in  an  hour  or  two  pan 
out  enough  dust  to  supply  himself  and  friends  with 
abundant  funds.  One  meets  hundreds  of  good  old  fel- 
lows, who  will  tell  of  the  money  they  made  in  the  early 
days  of  California  and  how  they  spent  it,  thinking  there 
were  such  vast  quantities  lying  in  the  gulches,  that  they 
could  be  possessors  of  all  the  luxuries  of  the  land  as 
long  as  they  lived. 


NEVADA.  45 


CHAPTER  III. 

NEVADA. 

AFTER  remaining  in  Utah  Territory  until  I  became 
weary  of  not  well  doing,  I  concluded  to  go  to  Ne- 
vada. I  settled  temporarily  in  Carson  City,  which,  at 
that  time,  was  a  very  small  place;  but  was,  nevertheless, 
bustling  with  life  and  energy.  My  finances  not  being 
cumbersome,  I  resolved  to  go  to  work  at  the  first  op- 
portunity. This  presented  itself  two  days  after,  when 
I  went  to  work  for  Yerrington,  Bliss  &  Co.,  who  were 
large  wood  and  lumber  contractors.  They  owned  large 
tracts  of  timber  lands  lying  in  proximity  to  Lake  Tahoe, 
together  with  saw-mills  and  flumes.  Tahoe  is  a  beau- 
tiful lake,  about  which  enough  has  been  said  to  justify 
me  in  passing  over  the  beauties  and  grandeur  of  the 
lake,  and  the  surrounding  locality.  (Read  Mark  Twain.) 
I  began  work  in  a  saw-mill,  as  screw-turner,  and 
remained  there  until  the  mill  closed  in  the  Fall,  which 
it  does  every  year  on  account  of  cold  and  snow.  But 
I  had  made  good  use  of  my  time,  and  when  I  went 
down  to  Carson  City  I  had  six  hundred  and  forty  dol- 
lars, nearly  all  of  which  I  had  made  that  Summer. 
There  the  mining  fever  was  raging,  as  it  always  is. 
Excitement  ran  high,  and  every  one — men,  women,  and 
children,  old  and  young,  rich  and  poor — if  they  were 
able  to  raise  only  five  dollars,  were  dealing  or  dabbling 


46  HOW  I  KNOW. 

in  stocks  of  the  celebrated  Comstock  mines,  which 
were  just  then  receiving  so  much  attention  in  the  San 
Francisco  Stock  Exchange.  I,  of  course,  must  try  my 
luck,  with  the  others.  So  I  invested  the  half  I  had, 
and  became  a  constant  attendant  at  the  broker's  office, 
and  wratcher  of  the  bulletin  boards,  along  with  the 
crowded  masses  of  different  nationalities  that  are  always 
there  watching  every  change  that  is  noted  down  with 


VIEW    NEAR    LAKE    TAHOE. 


the  fluctuation   of  the  stock  in  San  Francisco. 

Fortune  for  once,  I  thought,  seemed  to  be  in  my 
favor,  for  during  that  Winter  I  made  the  little  sum  of 
sixteen  hundred  dollars;  not  by  my  shrewdness,  how- 
ever, for  I  declare  I  knew  nothing  about  it,  except  that 
I  would  give  Messrs.  Rice  &  Peters  my  money,  with 
orders  to  buy  such  and  such  stock,  and  in  a  short  time 
I  would  make  sale  at  a  large  profit,  and  buy  again. 

Nevada   possesses    some    of   the    richest    producing 


NEVADA.  47 

mines  in  the  world.  The  Comstock  mines  are  the  best 
in  the  State.  Millions  and  millions  have  been  produced 
from  some  of  the  oldest  locations  on  this  lode,  with  vast 
bodies  of  ore  yet  in  sight.  No  one  who  has  never  been 
at  Virginia  City  can  form  an  idea  of  the  vast  amount 
of  work  that  is  required  to  carry  on  the  mining  busi- 
ness there.  Some  of  the  finest  machinery  that  the 
world  has  yet  produced  can  there  be  seen.  This  must 
be  had  in  order  to  mine  successfully  in  deep  mines. 
Millions  of  dollars  are  annually  spent  in  erecting  hoist- 
ing works,  quartz  mills,  and  other,  necessary  improve- 
ments. The  water  that  they  use  comes  through  pipes 
from  Marlette  or  Silver  Lake  miles  away,  down  the 
mountain  side,  across  valleys,  then  to  ascend  again,  to 
be  distributed  throughout  the  city.  The  mines  are 
always  in  need  of  vast  quantities  of  wood  and  lumber, 
a  greater  portion  of  which  comes  from  the  mountain 
sides  around  Lake  Tahoe.  The  lumber  is  sawed  at  the 
different  mills  along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake.  A 
great  many  men  are  employed  in  this  work.  Some 
cutting  logs  at  different  points  around  the  lake,  others 
hauling  and  dumping  them  into  the  water,  where  rafts 
are  formed  and  then  towed  across  the  lake  to  the  mills, 
where  they  have  large  break-waters  constructed  to 
keep  the  logs  from  being  carried  back  into  the  lake  and 
lost.  When  the  logs  are  sawed,  the  lumber  is  all  piled 
up,  each  kind  by  itself,  after  which  it  is  loaded  on  the 
cars  and  taken  to  the  dividing  ridge  of  the  mountain 
between  the  lake  and  Carson  City,  where  it  is  again 
piled  up  as  before,  alongside  a  flume. 


48 


HO  W  I  KNO  W. 


Now,  to  go  back  a  little,  the  Lake  Tahoe  Narrow 
Gauge  Railroad  was  built  from  the  lake  at  Glenbrook  to 
the  summit.  In  a  direct  line,  the  distance  is  a  little  short 
of  three  miles;  but  to  get  from  the  lake  up,  they  made 
nine  miles  of  road,  and  some  of  that  has  a  grade  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  to  the  mile.  They  have 
two  engines  on  the  road,  which  run  all  the  time,  except 

in  the  dead 
of  Winter, 
bringing  up 
wood  and 
lumber  to 
the  summit 
yards. 

From  the 
summit  to 
Carson  City 
is  fourteen 
miles,  and 
the  distance 
is  spanned 
by  a  long 
flume.  The 

capacity  of  the  flume  is  unknown.  There  have  been  over 
one  million  feet  of  lumber  and  four  hundred  cords  of 
wood  sent  from  the  summit  to  Carson  in  a  single  day's 
run  of  ten  hours.  The  flume  is  built  of  two-inch  plank 
sixteen  feet  in  length,  and  twenty  and  twenty-two 
inches  in  width.  These  boards  are  placed  the  bottom 
of  one  on  the  flat  edge  of  the  other,  and  securely 


BLUE   CANON,  SIERRA    NEVADA. 


NEVADA.  49 

nailed  with  large  spike  nails,  forming  a  V  shaped  box. 
After  the  flume  bed  has  been  laid  with  stringers  prop- 
erly graded,  the  boxes  are  put  in  place  and  securely 
supported  by  generally  five  bracket  bearings  to  each 
box.  The  brackets  are  made  with  arms  extending 
enough  to  admit  of  another  two-inch  plank  ten  or 
twelve  inches  in  width,  being  placed  in  on  either  side 
if  necessary.  Then  a  head  of  water  is  turned  on  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  flume  and  it  is  ready  for  opera- 
tion. Sometimes  fifty  men  can  be  seen  throwing  in 
wood  without  checking  its  movement  in  the  least. 
When  at  the  yard,  running  lumber,  I  have  seen  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  thousand  feet  run  from  the  yard 
in  a  single  hour.  I  have  seen  green  sticks  of  timber 
forty  feet  long,  sixteen  by  eighteen  inches  square, 
thrown  in  and  run  along  with  more  ease  than  a  boat 
through  the  water. 

Miles  of  flume  can  be  seen  at  this  date  extending 
up  along  the  mountain  sides,  used  to  flume  wood  to 
Carson.  Large  bodies  of  men  are  everywhere  at  work 
cutting  wood.  The  timber  around  the  lake  is  pine  of 
different  varieties,  white  and  red  fir,  spruce,  and  tama- 
rack. All  grow  to  large  size.  The  forest  land  around 
Lake  Tahoe  is  very  rough,  broken,  and  of  no  value 
except  for  the  timber  that  is  on  it. 

But  to  return  to  the  Comstock  Mines.  The  mines 
are  very  deep  and  the  deeper  down  they  go  the  hotter 
they  become.  Vast  quantities  of  water  are  continually 
rnnning  in  and  are  as  rapidly  pumped  to  the  top  by 
mammoth  machinery.  The  water  is  hoisted  twenty- 


50  HOW  I  KNOW. 

three  hundred  feet  out  of  some  of  the  deepest  loca- 
tions. A  few  years  ago  they  claimed  that  they  hoisted 
^through  their  pumps  fish  without  eyes;  they  were 
living  when  found,  but,  after  being  exposed  to  the 
cold  air  on  the  surface,  soon  died.  The  heat  on  the 
lower  levels  of  the  Comstock  Lode  is  intense,  vary- 
ing according  to  particular  parts  visited,  but  averaging 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  degrees.  Air  pumps  are 
constantly  at  work,  forcing  down  cool  air,  and  at  the 
same  time  tons  of  ice  are  being  lowered.  And  yet  it 
is  more  like  traveling  in  an  oven  that  is  heated  and  still 
heating  than  in  the  pure  breezes  from  off  Mt.  David- 
son. Eight  hours  constitute  a  day's  work  down  in  these 
depths,  where  no  light  except  the  feeble  flicker  of  the 
miner's  candle  ever  shines  to  guide  him  on  his  narrow 
pathway  underneath  the  ground.  The  miners'  wages 
average  four  dollars  a  day. 

The  Comstock  Lode  and  Sutro  Tunnel  Company 
entered  into  an  agreement  in  1866  to  tap  and  drain  the 
lode.  The  tunnel  was  commenced  at  what  is  now 
Sutro  City,  and  was  pushed  along  under  the  super- 
vision of  Mr.  Sutro.  Millions  of  money  have  been 
expended  in  the  undertaking.  They  now  think  they 
will  be  able  to  use  it  by  the  first  of  June,  1879.  Mr. 
Sutro  estimates  that,  after  the  mines  are  drained,  con- 
nections with  the  tunnel  made,  and  cross-cutting  under 
way,  the  average  daily  output  of  ore  will  be  three  thou- 
sand tons,  a  great  portion  of  which  will  be  first-class  or 
good  ore.  The  Tunnel  Company  expect  to  reap  bene- 
fits in  many  ways,  viz:  by  revenues  they  will  receive 


NEVADA.  51 

for  the  use  of  the  tunnel  for  purposes  of  transportation, 
furnishing  fire-wood,  timber,  compressed  air,  water  for 
power,  irrigation,  mill  supplies,  etc. 

The  climate  of  Nevada  is  cold  in  Winter  and  pleas- 
ant in  Summer.  All  through  the  Sierra  Nevada  range 
deep  snow  falls,  and  covers  the  ground  until  late  in  the 
Spring,  in  many  places  not  melting  off  entirely  at  all,  but 
remaining  until  snow  falls  again. 

A  few  years  ago,  in  going  from  Lake  Tahoe  down 
to  Carson  City,  while  on  that  part  of  the  road  lying  be- 
tween Mr.  Spooner's  and  the  Flinne  camp,  I  passed 
through  a  tunnel  of  snow  for  several  hundred  feet, 
where  the  snow  had  been  shoveled  out  along  the  side 
of  the  wagon  road  and  wood  had  been  hauled  in  and 
burned  to  melt  the  snow.  I  do  not  know  how  thick 
the  roof  of  the  tunnel  was,  but  I  know  it  was  on  the 
fourth  day  of  July  that  I  passed  through  it.  Large  for- 
ests of  the  finest  of  timber  lying  between  the  lake  and 
Eagle  Valley  have  all  been  cut  and  used  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  Comstock  Mines. 

There  are  a  great  many  horses  and  cattle  scattered 
throughout  the  State,  but  not  in  droves  and  herds,  such  as 
are  seen  on  the  plains  and  bench  lands  of  Utah  or  Col- 
orado. Farming  is  not  a  success  in  Nevada  for  many 
reasons.  The  seasons  are  too  short.  There  is  gener- 
ally frost  every  month  in  the  year,  or,  at  least,  I  found 
it  so  during  my  stay  in  the  State. 

Hot  Springs  abound  all  along  the  valley  of  the  Hum- 
boldt.  Some  of  these  springs  are  situated  entirely 
alone,  while  others  lie  very  near  springs  of  cold  water. 


52 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


I  remember  having  seen  a  hot  and  cold  spring  so  near 
together  that  the  two  hands  could  be  placed  one  in 
each  spring  at  the  same  time.  Some  of  these  springs 
are  very  shallow,  while  others  extend  to  unknown  or, 
at  least,  unsounded  depths. 

The  valleys  are  covered  with  alkali,  varying  from  a 
thin    sheet   to    three    inches   in   thickness.     The   water 


HUMBOLDT    PALISADES. 


standing  in  drains,  ponds,  and  lakes  in  the  valleys  is 
all  brackish,  containing  a  vast  amount  of  alkali.  In 
many  places  travelers  and  wagon  trains,  passing  to  and 
fro,  laden  with  freight,  suffer  to  the  utmost  extremity 
for  the  want  of  fresh  water,  since  all  the  fresh-water 
streams  from  the  mountains  have  sunk  and  disappeared 
on  the  bench  lands,  ere  they  reach  the  low  lands  or 


NEVADA.  £3 

valleys.  It  is  nothing  uncommon  to  see  animals  of  bur- 
den lying  dead  along  the  roads,  killed  by  drinking  this 
alkaline  water.  You  meet  travelers  and  freighters  go- 
ing and  coming  in  all  directions,  with  sore  and  inflamed 
eyes,  oftentimes  so  bad  that  they  are  unable  to  see;  lips 
parched,  cracked,  and  often  swollen  far  beyond  their 
usual  size;  gums  sore;  throat  and  lungs  sometimes 
so  painful  that  it  is  with  great  effort  the  individual  can 
eat  or  speak  —  all  arising  from  the  winds  and  the  dust 
that  sweep  along  over  these  alkaline  plains.  Nevada 
deserts  are  very  bad;  but  I  will  point  out  further  along 
some  localities  where  the  Humboldt  or  Walker  River 
valleys  would  be  pleasant  by  comparison. 


54 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CALIFORNIA. 

IN  going  from  Nevada  to  the  coast,  one  traverses 
over  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles  of  rail- 
road, between  Carson  City  and   San  Francisco.     The 
enchanting  views  of  this  whole  distance  will  awaken 


DONNER    LAKE. 

the  traveler's  keenest  admiration.  Donner  Lake  is  not 
equaled  in  grandeur  and  picturesqueness  anywhere  in 
the  East.  It  is  three  and  one-half  miles  long  by  one 


CALIFORNIA. 


55 


in  width.  It  lies  at  the  base  of  the  Sierra  range,  two 
miles  west  of  Truckee.  It  is  hemmed  in  on  three  sides 
by  the  Sierras,  and  a  more  beautiful  place  is  hard  to 
find.  The  lake  is  filled  with  fish.  There  are  three 
kinds  of  trout  and  a  few  other  kinds  of  fish.  The  lake 
is  entirely  surrounded  by  forests  of  magnificent  growth. 
One  of  the  attractive  places  about  the  lake  is  Pulpit 
Rock  in  Echo  Canon,  where  the  voice  will  be  repeated 
so  often  and  distinctly  that  it 
produces  a  peculiarly  pleasing 
and  interesting  effect.  This  is 
the  place  the  Donners  perished 
in  1846.  They  were  on  their 
way  to  the  valleys  of  California 
from  Illinois.  Here  they  be- 
came hemmed  in  by  snow,  only 
a  portion  of  their  number  es- 
caping and  that  after  undergoing 
terrible  suffering  and  hardship 
in  traveling  through  mountains 
and  canons  across  the  range,  in 

Search  of  some  One  to  go  to  the    PULPIT  ROCK,  ECHO  CANON. 

relief  of  their  comrades.  A  party  finally  went  to  their 
rescue,  but  only  to  find  them  all  dead,  except  one,  a 
German,  who,  it  is  said,  was  subsisting  on  a  portion  of 
Mrs.  Donner's  body  when  found,  and  was  in  a  most 
wretched  condition. 

There  are  a  great  many  stones  in  circulation  con- 
cerning Donner  Lake.  The  Indians  claim  that  the 
place  where  the  lake  now  is  was  formerly  a  volcano's 


56  HOW  I  KNOW. 

crater,  and  discharged  hot  cinders,  fire  and  smoke  con- 
tinually. Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  I  do  not  pre- 
tend to  say.  I  was  told  that  the  Lake  had  been 
sounded  to  the  depth  of  two  thousand  feet  without 
finding  bottom. 

But  Donner  Lake  takes  its  name  from  the  unfortu- 
nates who  perished  there  in  one  of  those  dreadful  storms 
that  pass  over  that  region  of  the  Sierras  every  Winter, 
where  the  snow  sometimes  falls  to  the  depth  of  ten  or 
twelve  feet.  Traveling  is  then  out  of  the  question,  un- 
less provided  with  snow-shoes;  and  then  one  unaccus- 
tomed to  their  use  would  find  it  difficult  and  laborious 
to  make  any  progress. 

Going  north  from  here  one  comes  to  the  Sierra  Val- 
ley, where  there  is  an  abundance  of  grass  in  the  sum- 
mer; but  farming  is  limited  as  the  altitude  is  so  high 
that  it  is  liable  to  freeze  any  night  during  the  Summer 
months.  But  this  is  still  in  a  mining  region,  and  mining  is, 
directly  or  indirectly,  the  leading  occupation  of  the  set- 
tlers. Farther  north  we  pass  through  Plumas,  Tehama, 
Shasta,  Lassen,  Siskiyou  and  Modoc  Counties,  all  noted 
for  their  mining  industries.  The  mountains  are  full  of 
holes  and  tunnels.  The  gulches  have  been  washed 
over  and  over  through  strings  of  sluices,  and  still  the 
miner  is  washing  away  with  as  much  or  more  energy 
and  ambition  than  in  the  years  of  '50  and  '51.  Sierra 
County  has  been  the  scene  of  excitement  ever  since 
gold  was  discovered  in  1847.  Thousands  of  dollars 
have  been  brought  into  Downieville  day  after  day  as  a 
reward  for  the  early  and  successful  prospector.  Ditches 


CALIFORNIA.  57 

have  been  run  for  miles  to  convey  water  for  washing 
down — by  the  use  of  hydraulic  ram — whole  sides  of  high 
bars  or  mountains,  as  I  might  term  them. 

I  have  often  been  asked  how  gold  looks  in  the  earth; 
in  what  form  it  is  generally  found,  and  of  what  size  are 
the  nuggets.  The  last  two  questions  admit  of  a  num- 
ber of  answers.  The  first  question  I  will  answer  by 
saying  that  persons  who  can  recognize  gold  after  it  has 
been  taken  from  the  earth,  and  refined  and  cleaned, 
would  generally  recognize  it  when  seen  in  quartz  rock, 
or  in  nuggets,  in  the  sand  and  gravel.  Gold  most  always 
has  its  distinctive  bright  yellow  appearance,  although  I 
have  sometimes  seen  it  when  it  seemed  to  be  covered 
with  a  coat  of  rust.  When  this  is  the  case  the  color 
of  the  outside  coating  varies  greatly.  The  gold  I  have 
seen  so  shaded  has  generally  been  where  the  water  was 
saturated  with  different  combinations  of  minerals. 

The  second  question  I  will  answer  by  stating  that  all 
gold  is  formed  in  quartz,  and  quartz  (not  float  quartz) 
generally  lies  in  veins.  Where  it  does  not,  there  has  been 
a  general  upheaval  of  the  earth's  surface,  grinding  and 
mingling  it  into  one  conglomerate  mass.  In  a  case  of 
this  kind  the  quartz  is  in  confusion  and  is  scattered  ir- 
regularly throughout  the  locality  of  such  visitation.  The 
veins  of  quartz  are  found  in  crevices  in  rocks  of  a  pre- 
vious formation.  Veins  are  either  of  a  different  material 
or  like  that  of  the  surrounding  rock;  in  either  case  the 
filling-up  of  the  vein  has  succeeded  the  formation  of 
the  country  rock. 

Bishop  Mohr  says,  as  to  the  formation  of  these  crev- 


53  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

ices :  "  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  they  have 
their  origin  in  the  rending  of  the  crust  of  the  earth, 
caused  by  plutonic  or  volcanic  action  in  the  interior  of 
the  earth,  or  by  the  formation  .and  lifting  of  newly- 
formed  masses  from  lower  depths  into  higher  regions, 
and  a  consequent  rending  of  the  overlying  rocks.  As 
the  latter  are  lifted  into  higher  regions  of  the  globe, 
which  have  a  larger  diameter,  these  masses  must  of 
course  break,  or  separate,  and  become  detached  from 
the  neighboring  rocks,  producing  chasms  and  crevices. 
The  material  with  which  these  crevices  are  filled  out 
has  entered  from  below,  from  above,  or  from  the  neigh- 
boring strata,  as  a  solution,  cither  from  the  country 
rocks,  or  from  deeper  regions. 

Water  was  very  likely  the  principal  medium,  which, 
together  perhaps  with  some  gases,  acted  as  a  receiver 
for  the  particles  of  metal  and  other  substances  which  lay 
distributed  in  the  different  strata  of  rocks,  and  depos- 
ited them,  far  more  concentrated,  by  a  slow  and  often 
repeated  process."  The  uneven  distribution  of  minerals 
in  veins,  the  often  symmetric  and  parallel  texture  of 
veins,  as  well  as  their  composition,  so  different  often 
from  that  of  the  neighboring  rocks,  seems  to  be  proof 
for  this  explanation.  Veins  are  usually  found  within 
those  places  where  the  surrounding  country  rock  is  in 
a  decomposed  state. 

Some  scientists  cling  to  the  idea  that  veins  are 
formed  entirely  by  the  heating  process.  I  will  not  en- 
deavor to  dispute  with  them.  But  one  thing  I  will  say, 
that  the  walls  of  veins  show  nowhere  the  action  of  fire, 


CALIFORNIA. 


59 


as  would  be  the  case  where  the  wall-rock  was  of  a 
nature  difficult  to  fuse.  Now  this  is  where  the  gold  in 
veins  is  obtained,  the  metal  is  distributed  throughout 
this  vein  matter,  and  often  in  very  rich  rock  or  ore  the 


SCENE    NEAR    EAGLE    LAKE,    CALIFORNIA. 

particles  are  so  small  that  the  eye  can  not  discover  a 
trace  either  of  gold  or  silver.  At  other  times  the  rock, 
or  ore,  will  be  dotted  throughout  with  grains  of  gold, 
sometimes  with  golden  wires  woven  together,  and  then 


60  HOW  I  KNOV>'. 

again  small  nuggets  can  be  picked  from  the  ore  with  a 
pocket  knife. 

Placer  mining  is  for  gold  that  has  been  thrown  from 
these  veins  where  the  rock  has  become  softened  and 
has  been  washed  from  the  mother  vein.  The  gold, 
owing  to  its  very  heavy  nature,  is  left  deposited  along 
the  gulches,  in  canons,  and  along  the  mountain  sides, 
and  bench  lands.  The  earth,  where  the  gold  has  been 
thus  deposited,  is  then  washed  in  different  ways  and  by 
different  processes,  until  it  passes  away,  leaving  the 
grains  of  gold.  It  is  seen,  therefore,  that  gold  in  not  all 
in  nuggets;  but,  on  the  contrary,  some  of  it  is  in  grains 
so  fine  that  the  eye  can  not  see  it  until  it  is  gathered 
together  through  the  washing  and  cleaning  process. 
Again,  there  have  been  some  large  pieces  found.  The 
largest  that  was  ever  found  in  California  was  brought 
to  light  by  John  J.  Finney,  one  of  the  Shasta  County 
pioneers,  who  now  resides  near  French  Gulch.  He  un- 
earthed it  in  the  early  mining  times  in  California,  about 
ten  miles  from  Downieville,  Sierra  County.  It  was  a 
chunk  of  solid  gold  that  weighed  five  thousand  one 
hundred  and  twenty  ounces.  This  is  said  to  be  the  best 
day's  work  ever  done  by  a  single  miner.  But  John, 
like  the  most  of  old  miners,  is  still  prospecting  for  hid- 
den wealth. 

Going  on  to  the  North,  from  here,  we  pass  through 
Lassen  County.  Large  forests  of  pine  and  fir  hem  us 
in  on  all  sides.  We  move  on  past  Honey  Lake,  a 
picturesque  place,  and  a  sight  that  will  be  impressed 
forever  upon  the  memory.  A  little  farther  on  we  come 


CALIFORNIA. 


Cl 


to  Eagle  Lake.  There  we  turn  and  go  into  Siskiyou 
County,  and  soon  we  are  at  the  base  of  old  Mt.  Shasta. 
We  can  then  then  look  up  to  the  top,  where  she  rears 
her  head  for  over  fourteen  thousand  feet;  and  there  she 
stands,  with  snow  for  a  perpetual 
covering,  and  clouds  dashing  like 
billows  all  around  her.  No  timber 
grows  upon  the  top,  of  course. 

The  Yosemite  Valley,  California, 
is    situated    on   the    Merced    River, 
in   the    southern    part    of  Mariposa 
County.     It  is  on  the  western  slope 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and 
near  the   center   of 
the  State,  North  and 
South.    The  valley  is 
small,  being  but  eight 
miles   in   length   and 
three  -  quarters    of  a 
mile  in  width.     It  is 
enclosed  with  granite  || 
walls  rising  with  al-  ^ 
most    unbroken    and 
perpendicular  faces  to 
the    dizzy  height   of 
from  three  thousand  THE  TWO  GUARDSMEN. 

to  six  thousand  feet  above  the  green  valley  beneath. 
Yosemite  is  the  Indian  name  for  grizzly  bear.  This 
place  is  and  will  be  preserved  for  public  use.  At  Crane 
Flat  there  is  a  small  grove  of  the  mammoth  trees  of 


62  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

Mariposa.  There  are  two  of  these  trees,  called  The 
Two  Guardsmen,  growing  from  the  same  root,  which 
measure  one  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  in  circumference, 
and  are  of  corresponding  height. 

From  the  brink  of  the  basin  to  the  valley  beneath 
measures  four  thousand  feet.  In  order  to  get  a  descent 
at  this  point  a  trail  over  seven  miles  in  length  has  been 
blasted  and  worked  out  of  the  rock.  After  the  descent 
is  made,  you  find  yourself  in  what  has  been  well  called 
the  "Garden  of  the  Gods."  Around  you  towers  some  of 
the  grandest  scenery  that. the  world  contains.  The  stu- 
penduously  massive  walls  seem,  as  it  were,  to  be  closing 
in  around  you  from  all  sides.  The  valley  in  which 
you  stand,  the  fertility  of  which  is  unsurpassed  on  the 
continent,  is  beautifully  set  in  grass. 

Here  we  are  able  to  look  upon  Nature  in  all  of  her 
grandeur.  The  lofty  walls  lifting  themselves  to  a  per- 
pendicular height  of  four  or  five  thousand  feet;  the  water 
gushing  out  of  the  many  springs  that  are  everywhere 
around  you,  to  fall  many  hundreds  of  feet  below,  there 
to  mingle  with  the  waters  of  the  beautiful  Merced  River. 
Looking  to  the  east  the  eye  rests  upon  the  Yosemite, 
spreading  out  and  falling  down,  like  a  magnificent  bridal 
veil,  a  distance  of  twenty-six  hundred  feet.  This  is  by 
far  the  highest  water-fall  in  the  world.  There  are  nu- 
merous other  falls.  The  Nevada  Fall  is  seven  hundred 
feet  high.  It  is  a  grand  and  beautiful  sight.  It  is  formed 
by  the  Merced  River,  a  stream  several  feet  in  depth  and 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  in  width,  continually  pour- 
ing its  waters  over  the  cliffs  into  the  valley. 


CALIFORNIA.  63 

Standing  in  the  valley  on  a  bright,  clear  day,  one  may 
well  go  into  ecstacies  over  the  many  magnificent  works 


THE    YOSEMITE    FALLS. 


of  nature  that  crowd  upon  the  view.  Here  are  the  gi- 
ants of  the  forest  with  a  circumference,  at  the  earth,  of 
one  hundred  and  six  feet,  rearing  their  lofty  heads  over 


04  HOW  I  KNOW. 

two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  into  the  air.  There  is  one 
lying  prostrate,  with  its  whole  heart  burned  out,  leaving 
nothing  but  the  shell.  A  man  can  ride  on  horseback 
for  seventy  feet  right  into  it,  and  yet  have  plenty  of  room 
to  turn  a  horse  of  ordinary  size  around  and  come  out. 
The  surrounding  country  is  for  fifty  or  sixty  miles  dotted 
with  little  valleys  in  which  these  large  trees  are  found  all 
the  way  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  from  two  hundred  to  considerably  more  than 
three  hundred  feet  in  height. 

Vegetables  grow  to  an  enormous  size  here.  I  have 
sometimes  thought  I  would  say  nothing  about  this,  how- 
ever, for  I  have  my  doubts  whether  the  people  in  the  East 
will  believe  the  statements  or  not.  They  may  think  I  am 
exaggerating  when  I  say  I  have  here  seen  single  heads 
of  cabbage  weighing  eighty  pounds.  Melons  often  weigh 
one  hundred  pounds,  and  pumpkins  more  than  that; 
beets  are  three  feet  in  length;  onions  as  large  around  as 
a  large  pie  pan;  grapes  in  bunches  weighing  ten  pounds. 

From  here  we  will  go  to  the  Golden  City.  I  can  not 
hope  to  say  more  than  has  been  said  by  others,  but  jus- 
tice demands  that  I  shall  not  pass  it  by  without  a  word. 
The  first  house  was  built  in  San  Francisco  in  the  year 
1835.  Since  then  a  city  has  sprung  up  that  to-day  is 
the  leading  city  of  western  North  America.  The  town 
was  not  originally  laid  out  in  accordance  with  any  def- 
inite plan,  and  until  a  few  years  ago  people  continued 
to  build  in  the  same  irregular  way.  Then  great  im- 
provements were  set  on  foot  by  widening  the  streets, 
cutting  through  whole  blocks  of  houses,  tearing  down 


CALIFORNIA. 


65 


the  older  buildings,  and  erecting  in  their  stead  better 
and  costlier  ones.  Some  magnificent  buildings  were 
erected,  the  San  Francisco  Mining  Exchange,  built  en- 
tirely of  marble,  being  the  best  and 
handsomest.  The  Palace  Hotel, 
erected  by  W.  C.  Ralston,  now  dead, 
is  said  to  be  the  grandest  in  the 


BRIDAL    VEIL    FALL,    YOSEMITE    VALLEY. 

United  States.  Mr.  Baldwin's  Academy  of  Music  is  an 
ornament  fit  for  any  European  city.  So  that  San  Fran- 
cisco is  now,  the  hoodlums  excepted,  as  beautiful  a  city 
as  one  can  find  among  any  of  the  port  towns  of  the 

5 


66  HOW  I  KNOW. 

United  States  of  the  same  population,  hoodlums  not 
excepted. 

In  addition  to  this  the  city  is  filled  with  attractions 
of  such  a  number  and  nature  that  one  need  never  be  at 
a  loss  for  entertainment.  North  Beach  is  filled  up  with 
ancient  collections  in  the  shape  of  cobwebs  as  old  as 
Adam  would  have  been  had  he  not  died.  The  Cliff 
Rocks,  a  little  more  remote  from  the  city,  is  a  great 
place  of  resort.  Here  one  gets  a  fair  view  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  At  this  point,  a  little  distance  from  the 
shore,  are  cliffs  of  rocks  projecting  out  of  the  water. 
These  are  almost  constantly  covered  with  sea  lions,  roll- 
ing and  pitching  over  another  and  howling  incessantly. 

But,  perhaps,  the  greatest  attraction  of  San  Fran- 
cisco is  Woodward's  Garden.  This  is  a  place  of  which 
one  never  grows  weary.  Mr.  Woodward  has,  at  a 
great  expense  of  time  and  money,  arranged  and  opened 
for  exhibition  a  museum,  containing,  it  is  said,  eighteen 
thousand  specimens  that  have  been  procured  from  every 
part  of  the  globe.  The  museum  includes  an  art  gallery, 
filled  with  the  most  beautiful  painting  and  statuary  to 
be  procured  in  Europe  and  America.  There  are  green- 
houses, filled  with  every  variety  of  plants  known  in 
botany.  There  is  a  zoological  department,  containing 
almost  all  kinds  of  wild  animals  and  birds.  There  is  an 
amphitheater,  where  twenty  thousand  people  may  sit 
and  witness  the  hippodrome  performances,  such  as  rac- 
ing, drills,  games  of  various  kinds,  and  other  entertain- 
ments which  may  be  given  there.  Mr.  Woodward  is 
continually  making  additions  to  his  already  very  ex- 


CALIFORNIA. 


67 


tensive  collections.  His  grounds  are  magnificently 
shaded  with  many  varieties  of  shade  trees.  Everything 
in  the  collections  is  arranged  and  labeled  in  the  most 
systematic  manner.  Any  one  that  can  see  and  read 
may  there  view  intelligently  the  productions  of  the 
world. 

The  valleys  of  California  are  fertile,  and  vegetation 


A    CALIFORNIA    STUMP. 


is  thriftier  there  than  in  most  any  other  place  in  the 
United  States.  Wheat  has  been  raised,  yielding  eighty 
bushels  to  the  acre.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  acres 
are  sown  annually.  I  have  seen  one  unbroken  field  of 
waving  wheat,  extending  for  over  forty  miles,  without  a 
fence  or  ditch  to  separate  it.  The  mode  of  harvesting 
wheat  on  the  Pacific  Coast  is  different  from  what  it  is 


68  HOW  I  KNOW. 

in  the  Atlantic  States.  In  the  West  the  grain  is  sown 
either  by  drill  or  broadcast.  If,  after  sowing,  the  ground 
.is  not  moist  enough,  it  is  irrigated  by  letting  on  water 
'until  it  has  become  sufficiently  wet;  then  the  water  is 
shut  off  again.  In  this  way  they  regulate  the  seasons. 
Harvesting  wheat  is  done  by  machines  called  "headers," 
which  cut  the  heads  of  the  standing  wheat  and  threshes 
out  the  grain,  sacks  and  sews  up  the  sacks,  all  at  the 
same  time.  Ricks  of  sacked  grain  can  be  seen  standing 
in  every  direction  over  the  grain  fields  during  the  har- 
vesting. 

It  may  be  as  well  remarked  here  that  the  Pacific 
Coast  is  subject  to  rain  only  at  one  season  during  the 
year.  That  is  known  as  the  rainy  season.  It  sets  in 
about  the  month  of  November,  sometimes  not  until 
later,  and  closes  in  February.  Sometimes  there  will  be 
but  a  few  days'  rain  during  that  period  of  time.  Dur- 
ing other  seasons  there  may  be  rain  for  six  or  seven 
weeks.  When  it  does  rain,  it  often  happens  that  several 
inches  of  water  fall  in  a  very  short  time. 

The  foot-hills  of  California  are  covered  with  a  very 
nutritious  grass,  which  during  the  long  summer  months 
has  the  appearance  of  being  all  burnt,  parched  and 
and  dried  up.  It,  nevertheless,  retains  a  great  deal  of 
nutriment.  Stock  like  it  and  keep  fat  and  sleek  as  long 
as  they  can  get  plenty  of  it.  Alfalfa  is  raised  through- 
out the  valleys  with  flattering  success.  Sometimes  as 
many  as  four  cuttings  are  procured  from  the  same 
ground  during  the  year. 

Grapes  do  better  in  California  than  in  any  other  part 


CALIFORNIA.  09 

of  the  United  States.  Hundreds  of  acres  of  vineyards 
can  be  seen  growing  throughout  the  State.  Apples, 
peaches,  pears,  plums,  cherries,  apricots,  and  oranges  all 
grow  there  in  vast  quantities  and  of  as  rich  and  fine  a 
quality  and  flavor  as  any  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  East 
or  along  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Nuts  of  all  kinds  and 
varieties  that  I  know  of  can  be  seen  growing  in  many 
of  the  southern  counties.  Cotton  and  tobacco  are  said 
to  do  well  also.  Fish  and  game  abound.  If  a  well-to- 
do  man  can  not  enjoy  himself  in  California,  it  would  be 
difficult  for  him  to  find  enjoyment  anywhere  on  this 
continent. 

Of  course  the  State  has  many  drawbacks.  Some- 
times an  earthquake  shakes  up  the  country  considerably, 
to  the  consternation  of  its  inhabitants.  This  was  the 
case  when  I  was  in  the  State  in  March,  1872.  I  had 
been  at  Vandalia,  in  Tulare  County,  for  several  days. 
The  weather  had  been  very  pleasant  and  sunshiny — 
rather  warm,  with  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen.  But  at  two 
o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  March  26th,  I  was  awakened 
by  the  windows  rattling  and  the  house  cracking  and 
shaking  in  a  violent  manner.  I  had  not  been  thinking 
of  an  earthquake,  neither  did  I  realize  that  there  was 
then  one  already  at  hand.  The  building  seemed  to  be 
moving  as  on  a  wagon  that  was  run  over  a  hard,  rough 
road.  I  did  not  remain  long  in  bed,  for  I  thought  the 
house  would  surely  soon  fall  down.  When  I  got  upon 
my  feet  I  could  scarcely  stand.  Then  I  was  sure  that 
the  house  was  being  meddled  with  in  some  violent  man- 
ner, for  it  was  shaking  in  such  a  way  that  it  gave  me 


70 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


feelings  which  no  pen  can  express.  For  once,  if  never 
before,  I  was  terribly  scared.  The  oscillations  were  so 
short,  and  in  such  quick  succession,  that  I  was  con- 
tinually bounced  about  in  such  a  manner  that  it  was 


NORTHERN    CALIFORNIA    SCENERY. 


with  great  difficulty  I  could  dress  myself.  There  was 
no  more  sleep  for  me,  for  the  shocks  continued  the 
remainder  of  the  night;  and  the  whole  of  the  next 
day  shocks  could  be  repeatedly  felt.  The  shocks,  on 


CALIFORNIA.  71 

this  occasion,  were  felt  the  whole  length  of  California, 
and  into  Mexico  on  the  south,  and  as  far  east  as  Win- 
nemucca,  in  Nevada,  covering  an  area  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  long,  by  nearly  five  hundred  miles  broad. 
The  center  of  the  shock  was  in  portions  of  Kern  and 
Inyo  Counties,  including  a  desert  country  along  the 
border  line  between  California  and  Nevada. 

In  this  part  of  the  country  the  Sierra  Nevada  range 
breaks  off  into  a  number  of  detached  ranges,  so  that,  in 
San  Bernardino  and  San  Diego  Counties,  the  range 
disappears  entirely,  as  far  as  its  distinctive  features  are 
concerned.  All  this  region  bears  evidence  of  volcanic 
eruptions,  some  of  which  must  have  been  of  a  very 
recent  date.  Here  alkaline  lakes,  salfataras,  hot  springs, 
and  mud  volcanoes  are  still  seen.  In  the  north-eastern 
part  of  San  Bernardino  County  is  "  Death's  Valley;"  said 
to  be  far  below  the  level  of  the  sea,  while  the  sur- 
rounding mountains  are  not  less  than  five  thousand  feet 
above  it.  Still  further  south,  in  San  Bernardino  County, 
north  of  the  trail  leading  from  Fort  Mojave  by  way  of 
the  sink  of  Mojave,  the  Mojave  Desert  and  River,  to  Los 
Angelos,  there  are  numerous  volcanic  craters,  rising  to 
heights  of  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  above  the  des- 
olate plain,  still  as  perfect  as  when  their  fires  went  out. 
The  earth  is  covered  with  lava  for  many  miles  in  width, 
and  extending  to  the  borders  of  the  Colorado  Desert. 
Hot  mineral  springs,  volcanic  ashes  in  vast  beds,  lava, 
pumice  stone,  and  other  evidences  of  comparatively 
recent  volcanic  disturbance,  are  found  in  abundance. 

It  is  supposed  the  Dry  Lakes  in  Bernardino  County, 


72  HOW  I  KNOW. 

in  the  Colorado  Desert,  was  the  bed  of  the  sea  at  a  very 
distant  date,  and  that  its  present  condition  is  the  result 
of  volcanic  action.  The  ancient  water-line,  which  is 
still  distinctly  marked  by  sedimentary  discoloration,  can 
be  seen  extending  along  the  side  of  the  San  Gorgonio 
Mountain,  south  of  San  Gorgonio  Pass,  for  some  fifty 
miles.  At  Dos  Palmas,  a  water  station  on  the  north- 


CAPE    HORN,    CENTRAL    PACIFIC    R.  R. 

eastern  side  of  the  Colorado  Desert,  on  the  trail  from 
San  Bernardino,  by  way  of  San  Gorgonio  Pass,  to  La 
Paz,  on  the  Colorado  River,  in  1868,  an  earthquake 
opened  a  large  fissure  in  the  earth,  from  which  flowed  a 
stream  of  cold  water.  The  fissure  is  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  great  hot  spring  of  Dos  Palmas,  which 
is  still  flowing,  but  is  said  to  have  become  much  cooler 


CALIFORNIA.  73 

since  that  event.  At  Fort  Tejon,  in  the  south-eastern 
part  of  Kern  County,  several  years  ago  the  earth  was 
rent  into  a  chasm. 

At  Lone  Pine,  when  the  terrible  earthquake  visited 
that  section,  in  1872,  the  inhabitants  were  awakened  by 
a  loud  explosion  followed  by  a  terrible  upheaval  and 
shaking  of  the  earth  from  north  to  south.  The  whole 
town  was  instantly  in  ruins,  not  a  building  being  left 
standing.  Colonel  Whipple,  who  was  in  Lone  Pine  at 
the  time,  was  sleeping,  he  says,  in  the  second  story  of  an 
adobe  house;  and  stated  that  he  just  had  time  to  jump 
from  bed  and  get  to  the  doorway  when  the  house  ap- 
peared to  crumble  to  pieces  beneath  him,  and  he  was 
buried  in  the  ruins;  but  succeeded  in  extricating  himself, 
though  suffering  from  several  painful  but  not  dangerous 
wounds.  He  reports  that  the  scenes  which  ensued  beg- 
gared description.  Screams  and  groans  and  cries  for 
help  rent  the  air  in  all  directions,  for  nearly  the  whole 
population  of  the  town  was  buried  beneath  the  ruins. 
The  first  shock  was  followed  in  quick  succession  by 
three  others.  In  fact,  the  earth  was  in  a  constant  shock 
and  tremble  for  over  three  hours.  A  chasm  was  opened 
extending  thirty-five  miles  down  the  valley,  ranging  from 
three  inches  to  forty  feet  in  width.  Rocks  were  torn 
from  their  places  and  rolled  down  into  the  valley. 

Everywhere  through  the  valley  are  to  be  seen  evi- 
dences of  the  terrible  convulsion  of  nature.  Before 
each  shock  an  explosion  was  heard  which  seemed  to 
be  directly  underneath.  Over  six  hundred  distinct 
shocks  were  felt  within  fifty-eight  hours  after  the  first. 


74:  HOW  I  KNOW. 

At  Tibbet's  ranch,  fifteen  miles  above  Independence, 
forty  acres  of  ground  sunk  seven  feet  below  the  surface 
of  the  surrounding  country.  Big  Owens  Lake  rose  four 
feet.  Owens  River  overflowed  its  banks,  and  shoals  of 
fish  were  left  on  the  shore  for  a  distance  of  four  miles. 
Through  Lone  Pine  the  earth  cracked,  and  on  one  side 
it  sunk  seven  or  eight  feet,  leaving  a  wall  of  earth  over 
three  miles  in  length  where  formerly  was  level  country. 
Innumerable  cracks  were  made  throughout  the  valley, 
and  the  Kern  and  Owens  Rivers  turned  and  ran  up 
stream  for  several  minutes,  leaving  the  beds  dry,  and 
returned  with  swollen  volume. 

There  had  been  no  parallel  to  this  earthquake  since 
1812,  when  the  missions  San  Juan,  Capistrano,  and  La 
Purissima,  in  South  California,  were  destroyed. 


THE  CHINESE.  75 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CHINESE. 

FOR  upward  of  thirty  years  there  has  been  a  stream 
of  Chinese  immigration  to  the  western  part  of  the 
United  States.  The  Chinese  are  of  a  very  short  but 
symmetrical  build,  with  a  face  larger  in  proportion  to 
the  size  of  the  skull,  than  in  the  European  race,  and 
round  instead  of  oval  in  shape.  The  eyes  are  very 
small,  deep,  and  obliquely  set,  with  a  color  resembling 
that  of  the  almond.  Nearly  all  that  come  to  the  coast 
are  of  a  dirty  brown  or  swarthy  complexion,  although  you 
occasionally  meet  one  of  yellow,  olive,  or  sallow  color. 

Their  hair  is  all  shaved  off  smooth  and  clean  around 
the  head,  leaving  only  a  small  place  on  the  top  of  the 
head  where  the  hair  is  allowed  to  grow.  This  tuft  is 
braided  into  a  single  strand,  and  that  is  lengthened  out 
with  other  braiding  material,  so  much  so  that  oftentimes 
it  trails  upon  the  ground  behind.  While  at  work  this 
queue  is  generally  arranged  in  a  coil  around  the  top 
part  of  the  head. 

Their  manner  of  dressing  differs  from  the  European 
custom.  Their  clothing  is  usually  clean  and  tidy  enough; 
but  it  is  on  the  "  too  muchee  loosee  "  fitting  order,  and 
is  made  after  the  models  of  their  own  fashions.  They 
wear  wooden  shoes;  but  not  after  the  Holland  wooden 
shoe  pattern,  for  their  shoes  are  small  and  finely  finished. 


76  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Their  hats  are  made  from  the  splittings  of  the  bamboo 
tree,  plaited  after  the  manner  of  straw  hats  here,  with  a 
very  narrow  and  shallow  crown,  and  a  rim  from  seven 
to  ten  inches  wide. 

There  are  now  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thou- 
sand Chinese  in  the  State  of  California,  the  greater 
portion  of  whom  live  in  San  Francisco.  Most  of 
these  people  are  virtually  in  a  condition  of  servitude. 
"Why,  how  is  that?"  some  one  asks.  The  answer  can 
be  given  in  a  few  words.  The  Chinese  who  are  brought 
to  this  country  are  of  a  very  poor  class  in  their  own 
land.  They  are  destitute  of  money,  and  even  of  the 
common  necessities  of  life.  There  are  in  San  Francisco 
six  different  companies  importing  them;  or,  in  words 
a  little  harsher,  making  slaves  of  them,  and  that  to  as 
great  an  extent  as  ever  was  true  of  the  negroes  in  the 
South. 

Wages  for  all  kinds  of  labor  in  the  Chinese  Empire 
are  extremely  low,  amounting,  generally,  only  to  about 
seven  cents  per  day  in  our  money.  In  some  cases  the 
wages  are  a  little  higher.  Here,  briefly  stated,  is 
what  is  to-day  causing  so  much  disturbance  in  the 
West  on  this  subject.  These  six  companies  have 
agents  in  the  different  ports  of  China.  Whenever 
any  new  enterprise  is  undertaken  on  the  Pacific  slope 
requiring  great  numbers  of  workmen,  these  companies 
hire  in  China,  at  the  low  rates  for  labor  paid  there,  as 
many  laborers  as  can  be  worked — millions  could  be 
hired,  if  necessary — and  bring  them  over  and  hire  them 
out  again.  Now,  some  one  of  these  companies,  by  vir- 


THE  CHINESE.  77 

tue  of  the  contract  and  agreement  made  and  entered 
into  in  China,  becomes,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  the 
owner  of  the  persons  so  imported,  until  they  have 
earned  their  freedom  according  to  the  terms  of  their 
contract.  From  the  terms  of  this  contract  there  can  be 
no  variation.  These  six  companies,  of  course,  pocket 
the  difference  between  what  they  give  and  what  they 
receive  for  these  laborers,  giving  their  chattleman  such 
meager  credit  on  his  account  that  he  will  be  compelled 
to  work  a  long  time  to  gain  his  freedom. 

The  Chinese  who  emigrate  to  this  country  do  not 
become  citizens.  Applications  for  naturalization  papers 
have  been  made  time  and  again,  and  have  as  often  failed 
to  be  granted.  They  are  called  "  heathen  Chinese  "  be- 
cause they  have  their  "  Big  Josh  "  in  all  their  temples; 
that  is,  an  idol  which  they  worship. 

They  have  their  own  judicial  tribunals,  before  which 
they  try  and  punish  offenders,  in  all  grades  of  crime 
that  may  be  registered  against  them.  There  is  a  secret 
order  among  them,  known  as  the  "  Hoeys,"  the  object 
of  which  is  to  protect  their  own  countrymen  from 
American  or  State  laws,  and  to  enforce  laws  of  their 
own  making.  Their  tribunals  are  held  in  secret,  and 
they  administer  such  punishment  as  they  see  fit.  The 
penalty  of  death  is  enforced  very  often  for  the  most 
trivial  offenses,  such  as  neglecting  to  pay  a  debt.  If  the 
culprit  is  not  in  custody  when  the  offense  with  which 
he  is  charged  is  investigated,  and  he  is  decided  to  be 
guilty,  then  rewards  for  his  assassination  are  offered, 
written  in  Chinese  characters  and  publicly  posted.  It 


78  HOW  I  KNOW. 

is  with  great  difficulty  that  Chinese  criminals  are  con- 
victed in  our  courts.  Officers  are  bribed  to  release 
them  from  custody,  and  Chinamen  witnesses  in  court 
will  commit  perjury  to  get  them  clear,  in  order  that 
they  may  be  tried  before  their  own  tribunals.  A  China- 
man stands  in  utter  fear  of  telling  the  truth  in  our 
courts,  if  it  should  tend  to  convict  a  countryman,  for  he 
knows  that  he  is  sure  to  lose  his  life  if  he  does  not  aid 
in  defeating  the  administration  of  justice  to  them  before 
our  tribunals.  At  the  same  time  the  Chinese  will  use 
our  laws  before  their  own  tribunals,  to  prosecute  inno- 
cent men,  in  addition  to  enforcing  their  own. 

The  Chinese  occupy  their  own  quarters  in  the  city, 
where  they  live  more  after  the  manner  of  herding  ani- 
mals or  swarming  insects  than  intelligent  human  beings. 
Their  houses  are  compact,  one  against  the  other,  with 
very  small  rooms,  all  of  which  on  the  inside  are  of  the 
dirtiest,  smokiest  color.  Paint,  whitewash,  and  scrub- 
brooms  are  unknown  to  the  Chinese.  Often  small 
rooms  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  feet  square  will  be 
the  abode  of  ten  or  twelve  Chinamen,  with  bunks  ar- 
ranged as  in  barracks.  There  they  will  lie  and  smoke 
opium  and  gamble  their  hours  of  idleness  away. 

The  Chinese  are  termed  "  Coolies  "  in  popular  West- 
ern phrase.  That  is  a  word  used  to  designate  all  day- 
laborers  of  the  East  Indian  and  neighboring  countries, 
where  they  unlade  vessels,  bear  the  palanquins  of  the 
wealthy,  push  and  pull  the  clumsy  two-wheeled  carts, 
or  carry  such  things  as  their  employers  desire  in  net-like 
bags,  suspended  from  the  two  ends  of  a  bamboo  pole,  rest- 


THE  CHINESE. 


79 


ing  on  their  shoulders.     These  Chinese  coolies  are  rude 
in  manner  and  noisy,  but  good-humored  and  fond  of 


CHINESE    QUARTER,    SAN   FRANCISCO. 

amusement.  Numbers  of  them  can  be  worked  in  very 
small  places  in  ditching,  shoveling,  picking,  blasting, 
working  in  sections  in  railroad  cuts  or  in  making  roads, 


80  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

etc.  They  are  not  capable  of  doing  as  much  work  as 
Americans  when  put  to  the  test;  yet  they  generally  ac- 
complish as  much  or  more  than  many  Americans  really 
like  to  do.  Much  the  larger  number  of  Chinese  that 
are  imported  to  this  country  are  adult  males.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  are  four  thousand  Chinese  females 
in  San  Francisco,  with  a  great  many  more  scattered 
at  various  places  throughout  the  West. 

There  has  been  petitioning  and  legislating  in  Cali- 
fornia for  a  long  time  in  an  effort  to  prevent  the  Chi- 
nese from  coming  there;  but,  strange  to  say,  that  is 
done  mostly  by  a  set  of  men  who  are  foreigners  by 
birth  themselves.  The  more  distinguished  and  thought- 
ful of  our  own  countrymen  say  this:  "The  summary 
disturbance  of  our  existing  treaties  with  China  is  greatly 
inconvenient  to  the  much  wider  and  more  prominent 
interests  of  the  country."  The  Chinese  question  has 
been  disturbing  the  minds  of  the  Western  people  for  a 
long  time,  and,  doubtless,  wTill  continue  so  to  do  for 
some  time  to  come.  I  think  that  John  would  have 
been  much  happier  if  he  had  never  wandered  away 
from  the  home  of  his  idols. 

But  now  let  me  speak  a  few  words  in  general  terms 
in  behalf  of  the  State  of  California.  This  State  has 
been  wonderfully  prosperous  since  its  admission  into  the 
Union,  by  reason  of  its  great  natural  resources  and  its 
singularly  energetic  and  enterprising  population.  It  has 
probably  more  wealth  per  capita  of  its  population  than 
most  other  States  of  the  Union,  or,  perhaps,  countries 


THE   CHINESE.  81 

rof  the  world.  It,  no  doubt,  has  also  the  materials  of 
progress  on  a  larger  scale  than  has  ever  existed  on  any 
other  similar  area. 

The  two  principal  cities  are  San  Francisco  and  Sacra- 
mento. The  business  of  these  two  places  consists  chiefly 
in  trading  upon  the  wealth  produced  from  the  soil.  The 
principal  element  of  the  future  growth  of  the  State  will 
consist  in  the  settlement  of  the  lands  by  desirable  oc- 
cupants. The  lands  are  naturally  very  rich  and  fertile; 
besides  they  are  situated  in  an  unrivaled  climate. 
Southern  California  can  boast  of  what  but  few,  if 
any,  other  parts  of  our  country  can  rightfully  claim 
to  possess,  and  that  is  a  mean  difference  of  temper- 
ature of  15.88.  I  do  not  know  of  a  more  healthy 
spot  anywhere  to  reside  in,  and  at  the  same  time  reap 
a  large  reward  for  industry.  These  lands  have  all  to 
be  irrigated.  There  are  irrigating  canals  and  ditches 
along  and  adjoining  every  ranch  that  is  tilled. 

They  have  been  colonizing  the  State  for  a  few  years 
back,  and  an  earnest  interest  has  been  taken  in  pro- 
moting the  immigration  of  large  numbers.  In  Califor- 
nia the  Federal,  State,  and  County  governments,  the 
settlers  upon  lands,  and  the  citizens  of  the  commercial 
marts — all  take  a  common  interest  in  the  promotion  of 
and  working  for  the  welfare  of  individual  and  joint  en- 
terprises. 

The  Federal  Government  has  several  million  acres 
of  surveyed  lands  yet  to  sell  in  the  State.  The  area 
of  the  State  of  California  alone  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty  million  nine  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand 


82  HOW  I  KNOW. 

eight  hundred  and  forty  acres,  of  which  thirty-four  mill- 
ion acres  have  been  surveyed  by  the  officers  of  the 
Federal  Government.  Of  the  quantity  surveyed,  not 
more  than  twenty  million  acres  have  been  disposed  of, 
leaving  as  much  as  fourteen  million  acres  of  surveyed 
lands  in  the  hands  of  the  Federal  Government.  Over 
two-thirds  of  the  State  lands  are  unsurveyed. 

The  entire  present  population  of  the  State  is  less 
than  one  million.  The  Federal  Government  has  given 
three  million  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  the 
lands  in  the  State  to  railroads,  in  order  that  the 
value  of  the  whole  may  be  improved  by  facilitating 
transportation.  If  a  railroad  company  receives  a  grant 
of  land  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  whole  within  the 
reach  of  market,  an  irrigation  company,  whose  object  is 
to  insure  the  crops  of  all  those  lands,  certainly  has  an 
equal  claim  to  aid,  the  more  so  when  the  canals  which 
irrigate  the  lands  also  complete  the  means  of  transport- 
ing the  crops. 

I  have  tried  to  do  justice  to  California  and  the  good 
people  of  the  State.  I  have  traveled  the  State  over,  and, 
while  doing  so,  I  have  met  with  a  warm-hearted  recep- 
tion from  all.  May  they  ever  live  in  enjoyment  of  all 
the  bountiful  blessings  of  peace  and  prosperity. 

My  visit  here  is  ended.  I  shall  now  visit  Oregon  and 
see  it,  that  I  may  be  able  to  compare  for  my  own  satis- 
faction and  that  of  the  reader  the  different  shades  and 
experiences  of  life  there. 


OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON.  83 


CHAPTER  VI. 

OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON. 

PORTLAND,  Oregon,  is  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles,  by  water,  from  San  Francisco.  Ore- 
gon is  like  California  in  some  respects ;  in  others  it 
differs  from  all  the  rest  of  the  country  along  the  Pacific 
coast.  Portland  is  a  thriving  city,  with,  perhaps,  thir- 
teen thousand  inhabitants.  Along  the  coast  warm 
breezes  from  off  the  ocean  constantly  blow  inland.  In 
Summer  the  atmosphere  is  perfectly  delightful  and 
healthy;  in  Winter  it  is  colder,  owing  to  the  winds 
coming  down  from  the  Cascade  Mountains  on  the 
east.  Yet,  it  is  not  so  cold  as  to  freeze  hard,  ex- 
cept at  a  high  altitude.  Some  of  the  valleys  are  very 
fertile,  with  a  good  depth  of  soil,  covered  with  the  finest 
grass  and  beautiful  flowers,  affording  natural  attrac- 
tions of  a  richness  seldom  met  with  elsewhere. 

There  is  splendid  water  and  an  abundance  of  fish  in 
all  the  streams  that  are  not  of  an  alkaline  or  brackish 
character.  The  State  can  never  have  a  dense  popula- 
tion, for  the  valleys  I  have  referred  to  above,  are  small 
and  in  many  places  settled  thickly  enough  already.  In 
the  southern  and  south-eastern  part  of  the  State  the  val- 
leys are  not  so  good,  and  are  often  covered  with  vast 
beds  of  sand,  alkali,  and  fields  of  lava.  Much  of  this 
part  of  the  State  is  almost  a  desert,  with  only  here  and 


84  HOW  I  KNOW. 

there  a  small  piece  of  fertile  and  watered  ground  upon 
which  the  squatter  may  settle.  The  greater  portion  of  this 
part  of  the  State  is  worthless  and  must  ever  remain  so. 
The  Columbia  River,  which  forms  the  boundary  line 
between  Washington  Territory  and  the  State  of  Ore- 
gon is  one  of  the  grandest  streams  in  the  North-west. 
This  mighty  river  has  cut  its  way  through  solid  rock 


RAPIDS    OF    THE    UPPER    COLUMBIA. 


for  nearly  its  whole  length  above  the  cascades.  Here 
may  be  seen  an  instance  of  what  Nature  by  her  mys- 
terious forces  can  accomplish.  By  the  constant  attri- 
tion of  water,  vast  mountains  of  rock  have  been  soft- 
ened and  worn  away,  leaving  the  harder  portions  of  the 
rock  standing  in  all  kinds  of  fanciful  and  grotesque 
forms,  like  the  ruins  of  some  ancient  castle.  After 


OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON.  85 

passing  the  cascades  one  is  soon  enclosed  in  forests 
of  beautiful  timber,  composed  principally  of  large  and 
thrifty  trees  of  red-wood,  pine  and  other  varieties. 

In  many  places  along  the  Cascade  range  the  mount- 
ains are  barren  and  unproductive  of  either  timber  or 
other  vegetation.  Here  are  high  walls  of  rock,  some- 
times perpendicular,  at  other  times  more  sloping.  Huge 
bowlders  are  piled  up  in  confusion  as  high  and  even 
higher  than  the  clouds.  But,  where  the  ranges  are  not 
too  high  and  there  is  a  sufficient  quantity  of  soil  and 
moisture,  large  trees  cover  the  mountain  sides,  while 
there  is  such  a  dense  thicket  of  underbrush,  so  filled  with 
old  logs  and  broken  branches  of  trees,  that  there  is  no 
pleasure  in  making  an  exploration  through  these  forests. 

Hundreds  of  little  squirrels  may  here  be  seen  playing 
about  at  any  time.  Let  a  person  or  any  other  moving 
object  be  espied  and  they  set  to  chattering  with  all 
their  might.  Sometimes  five  or  six  will  be  seen  gath- 
ered together,  viewing  the  same  object.  If  the  object 
of  their '  curiosity  ceases  to  move,  they  become  more 
bold  and  will  approach  cautiously  nearer  and  nearer, 
until  they  will  sometimes  climb  upon  and  run  over  the 
person.  As  soon  as  they  learn  that  there  is  no  danger, 
they  become  very  familiar,  playful,  and  amusing.  These 
little  squirrels  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  West,  filling 
the  woods  with  their  constant  and  saucy  chatter. 

The  lava  beds  of  Oregon,  the  scene  of  the  celebrated 
Modoc  war  a  few  years  ago,  form  a  very  singular  place. 
This  has  been  at  some  time,  ages  ago,  the  seat  or  center 
of  some  large  volcano.  There  the  rock  has  been  melted 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


so  that  it  would  boil  and  run  like  water.     The  upheaval 
in  places  has  been  very  great.     The  rock,  in  cooling  off 


VIEW    IN    THE    MODOC    COUNTRY. 


after  it  had  been  melted  and  thrown  out,  has  assumed 
something    of    a    sponge-like    appearance.     There    are 


OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON.  87 

holes,  tunnels,  caverns,  caves,  ridges,  defiles,  canons — 
all  running  in  perpendicular,  horizontal  and  oblique  di- 
rections. I  was  afraid  to  venture  far  into  any  of  the 
openings  in  so  much  darkness,  so  I  did  not  explore  them 
to  any  distance. 

This  lava  has  been  thrown  up  and  is  spread  out 
over  thousands  and  thousands  of  acres  of  land.  In  this 
region  water  is  not  at  all  abundant,  and  when  obtained 
it  is  not  good,  having  a  soft,  warm,  brackish,  disagree- 
able and  unhealthy  taste.  In  this  part  of  the  State  the 
climate  is  hot  in  Summer,  the  hot  winds  and  sun  beat- 
ing down  on  the  pummice  that  covers  the  country, 
making  the  shade  much  preferable  to  the  roads. 

But,  returning  a  little  to  the  north  again,  we  find 
some  small  valleys  where  vegetation  is  abundant.  Cat- 
tle, horses,  and  sheep  are  found  here  in  as  good  con- 
dition as  anywhere,  and  of  a  finer  quality  than  can 
be  found  in  many  of  the  other  western  States  and 
Territories.  No  finer  blooded  animals  can  be  bought 
at  reasonable  prices  in  the  eastern  States.  Animals 
imported  here  from  other  parts  of  the  country,  after 
becoming  acclimated,  do  well. 

In  the  Willamette  Valley  all  the  way  back  from 
Portland,  the  climate  is  very  remarkable.  It  is  surpris- 
ing to  see  here,  so  far  in  the  North,  such  a  tempera- 
ture. Here  they  have  but  two  seasons,  Winter  and  Sum- 
mer, each  having  its  pleasant  and  rainy  weather. 

The  grass  is  green  in  Oregon  nearly  the  whole  year. 
The  valleys  along  the  coast  are  very  productive,  both 
in  quantity  and  quality.  The  yield  of  wheat  on  the 


88 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


Pacific  slope  is  good,  as  is  generally  known,  and  Ore- 
gon is  no  exception.  All  other  grains  are  raised  almost 
or  quite  to  perfection.  Small  grains  are  perfectly  at 


VIEW    ON   THE   OREGON   COAST. 


home  in  Oregon.  I  have  seen  farmers  feeding  peas  to 
their  horses  and  hogs,  and  the  animals  looked  healthy 
and  fat.  It  is  claimed  that  this  feed  is  as  cheap  as  corn 
in  the  western  States. 


OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON.  89 

Fruit  of  all  kinds  is  raised  in  the  greatest  of  pro- 
fusion, and  is  remarkable  for  its  great  size  and  excellent 
flavor.  Although  California  fruit  is  justly  in  good  rep- 
utation, Oregon  apples  are,  nevertheless,  exported  to 
San  Francisco,  where  they  bring  an  advanced  price  on 
account  of  their  excellence.  Vegetables  that  come 
from  here  to  the  San  Francisco  market  are  held  in  high 
favor.  Potatoes,  especially,  that  are  exported  to  the 
southern  coast  markets  are  prized  highly,  and  find  ready 
sale  at  an  advanced  price  in  preference  to  those  of 
home  production. 

Washington  Territory  is  very  similar  to  Oregon  in 
productiveness,  though  the  yield  is  generally  less  per 
acre  than  that  of  Oregon.  Even  in  Winter  the  ice 
never  obstructs  the  passage  of  vessels  along  the  coast. 
Boats  and  vessels  are  coming  and  leaving  all  the  time. 

Washington  Territory  possesses  many  gigantic  trees 
of  different  varieties.  Here  lumber  is  sawed  by  millions 
of  feet  daily,  and  shipped  to  various  parts  of  the  world. 
Hundreds  of  men  and  teams  are  employed  in  cutting 
and  moving  these  mammoth  trees  to  the  mills,  where 
they  are  sawed  into  lumber  and  loaded  on  vessels  that 
do  nothing  else  but  ply  back  and  forth  in  the  lumber 
traffic.  In  the  mountains  of  the  Territory  the  weather 
is  cold — dreadful  cold — and  people  perish  every  Winter. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  splendid  fish  in  the  Terri- 
tory, and  some  game;  but  game  is  not  so  plentiful  as  it 
is  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  or  further  south. 
There  are  still  some  Indians  here,  as  in  Oregon;  but  in 
both  places  they  are  disposed  to  be  both  sociable  and 


90  HOW  I  KNOW. 

peaceable.  They  live  a  very  hard  and  uncomfortable 
sort  of  life,  dressed  either  very  poorly  or  not  at  all. 
They  are  too  lazy  either  to  hunt,  fish,  or  farm.  But  lit- 
tle need  be  said  of  the  Indians  here,  however,  since  I 
shall  treat  the  whole  subject  fully  in  a  later  chapter. 

The  scenery  of  the  whole  north-western  part  of  the 
United  States  is  grand.  There  are  gradually-ascending 
slopes  for  miles  and  miles,  where  the  unbroken  forest 
conceals  the  ground  from  view.  Here  and  there,  by  a 
bold  projection,  the  mountains  lift  themselves  upward, 
sometimes  to  heights  far  above  the  timber  line.  In  such 
cases  there  they  stand  enveloped  in  snow  for  nearly  the 
whole  year. 


MEXICO. 


91 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MEXICO. 

I  SPENT  eleven  months  in  Mexico.  I  found  the 
Mexicans  to  be  a  truly  democratic  people,  there 
being  no  distinction  of  caste  among  them.  The  rich  and 
poor  meet  socially  on  the  same  footing,  often  sharing 
together  the  same  sleeping  apartment.  However,  in  dry 
seasons,  all  classes  seem  to  prefer  to  sleep  in  the  open  air. 

The  climate  of  Mex- 
ico  is  determined  chiefly 
by  elevation.  On  the 
coast  it  is  hot;  temperate 
on  the  slopes,  and  cold 
on  the  table  lands  and  in 
the  higher  ranges  of  the 
Sierra  Madre.  Some  of 
the  valleys  of  Mexico  are 
so  situated  that  their  climate  is  one  perpetual  Spring. 
The  coasts  of  Mexico  produce  all  the  plants  indige- 
nous to  hot  climates.  The  table  lands  produce  the 
plants  of  the  temperate  zones,  and  the  higher  mountains 
those  that  grow  farther  north. 

The  Mexicans,  though  hospitable  and  often  magnan- 
imous, are,  nevertheless,  generally  vindictive,  cruel, 
and  treacherous.  Intellectually,  they  are  an  inferior 
race  of  people.  The  natives  of  Mexico  are  devoid 


BORDER    MEXICANS. 


92  HOW  I  KNOW. 

of  enterprise,  and  almost  wholly  neglect  all  public 
and  private  improvements.  Mexico,  as  every  one 
knows,  is  noted  for  its  mining  industries.  They 
have  good  mines  in  several  of  their  States.  The  States 
of  Sonora,  Sinaloa,  Chihuahua,  and  Durango -claiming 
the  best,  with  the  greatest  yield  of  gold  and  silver. 
The  Mexicans  themselves  have  been  mining  in  differ- 
ent localities  of  these  States  for  long  over  a  century. 
Some  of  their  mines,  properly  worked,  are  probably 
capable  of  producing  more  than  the  world-renowned 
Comstock  Lode,  in  Nevada. 

But  the  manner  in  which  the  Mexican  people  work 
their  mines  is  such  that  they  would  not  be  able  to  take 
out  any  great  wealth  in  years  of  toil.  Americans  have 
often  gone  into  Mexico  to  prospect  and  mine;  but  have 
as  often  been  visited  by  the  prowling  bandits,  wTho  live  in 
the  mountains,  and  have  either  been  killed  or  had  to  flee 
the  country  for  their  lives.  All  Mexicans  are  not  ban- 
dits; but  there  are  a  great  many  outlaws  in  the  mount- 
ains who  make  robbery  and  plunder  their  profession. 
There  are  still  a  few  Americans  interested  there  in 
mining;  but  they  are  compelled  to  pay  well  for  the 
privilege. 

One  of  the  processes  by  which  the  Mexicans  crush 
their  rock,  is  to  take  a  large  rock  and  dress  it  off,  first 
level  and  flat,  then  they  crease  the  outer  side  by  cutting 
and  beveling.  This  rock  is  then  placed  on  a  solid  and 
level  foundation — and  generally  near  some  stream,  so  as 
to  secure  water  power — after  which  another  rock  is 
made  to  exactly  fit  the  one  already  in  place,  and  so 


MEXICO.  93 

closely  that  with  a  motion  of  the  upper  rock  the  tailing 
is  usually  ground  very  fine,  so  that  little  will  remain  in 
a  fifty-mesh  sieve.  Then,  by  following  their  tedious 
processes  they  obtain  a  small  percentage  of  the  royal 
metals  which  the  rock  contains.  After  this,  the  tailing 
is  piled  up  in  piles,  and  salted,  one  layer  on  top  of 
another,  where  it  is  left  to  undergo  a  leaching  process. 
While  lying  in  this  way  it  is  occasionally  stirred,  and 
sometimes  left  for  two  or  three  years,  when  it  is  worked 
over  again,  and  with  more  success  than  was  at  first 
obtained.  But  this  is  a  very  slow  and  tedious  process, 
compared  with  the  crushing  and  amalgamating  of  ores 
in  California  or  Nevada. 

Nine-tenths  of  the  Mexican  population  live  in  adobe 
houses,  built  out  of  adobes  "and  covered  with  heavily 
tiled  roofs.  From  a  distance,  the  cities  and  towns  of 
Mexico  have  a  beautiful  and  picturesque  appearance. 
The  buildings  are  low — very  seldom  is  a  La  Grande 
Casie  over  one  story  in  height — the  walls  are  thick, 
heavy,  and  cumbersome,  with  usually  grated  windows. 
But  as  one  enters  the  towns  all  beauty  vanishes.  Build- 
ing after  building  is  found  to  be  all  cracked,  shaken 
up,  neglected,  and  on  the  road  to  ruin,  if  not  already  in 
ruins.  Even  in  the  City  of  Mexico  itself,  one-seventh 
of  the  houses  are  uninhabited,  and  not  fit  to  live  in. 
Some  of  the  stores,  hotels,  and  houses  of  public  resort 
are  very  fine,  large,  and  commodious;  but  private  resi- 
dences are  seldom  more  than  one  story  high. 

Many  of  their  gardens  and  campos  are  deserted,  and 
either  going  or  gone  to  waste.  They  have  been  so  long 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


neglected  that  dense  thickets  of  the  orange  and  other 
trees  occupy  the  ground.     Some    of  their  houses  are 


MEXICAN    BORDER    TOWN. 

surrounded  with  flowers  and   shade   trees  as  beautiful 
as  grow  in  any  clime. 

A  stranger  traveling  in  Mexico  would  naturally  be 


MEXICO.  95 

deterred,  by  the  very  appearance  of  things,  from  asking 
for  hospitality  or  a  night's  rest  at  most  of  these  dwell- 
ings; but,  among  that  small  class  of  Mexicans  who 
seem  to  take  some  little  pride  in  keeping  their  premises 
neat  and  in  good  repair,  I  found  solid  hospitality  and 
comfort.  I  found  this  class  rather  social  and  somewhat 
well  informed.  There  is,  in  the  end,  but  little  enjoy- 
ment to  be  derived  from  a  trip  through  Mexico,  unless 
one  is  master  of  the  language.  There  are  very  few 
Mexicans  who  can  speak  English,  and  those  who  can 
will  seldom  do  so. 

They  are  all  very  fond  of  their  wine,  or  liquor 
(Mescale),  oftentimes  indulging  more  freely  than  they 
should.  They  are  fond  of  amusements,  and  the  more 
barbarous  and  cruel  the  entertainment  may  be,  the  better 
it  is  liked  by  both  young  and  old.  Horse-racing,  bull- 
fighting, dog-fighting,  sheep-fighting,  chicken-fighting, 
and  other  kinds  of  cruelty  are  much  sought  after.  Such 
scenes  are  attended  and  witnessed  by  thousands,  with 
glee  and  mirth. 

The  Mexicans  are  a  nation  of  gamblers.  They  en- 
gage freel^  in  all  the  different  games  of  chance  or  skill. 
Generally  they  do  not  bet  heavily;  but  they  continue  the 
game,  oftentimes,  until  they  have  lost  the  last  cent. 

They  possess  great  powers  of  endurance.  Even  the 
inclemencies  of  the  mountain  rains  and  snows  possess  no 
terrors  to  the  swarthy  native.  They  are  skilled  in 
horse-back  riding,  often  performing  the  most  hazardous 
and  reckless  feats.  In  the  saddle,  with  a  lasso,  they  are 
perfectly  at  home,  throwing  the  lariat  with  dexterity, 


96  HOW  I  KNOW. 

and  with  such  accuracy  that  they  seldom  miss  the 
object  of  pursuit,  whether  out  in  the  open  country  or 
confined  in  the  corral. 

The  common  domestic  animals  run  wild  in  Mexico, 
and  frequently  become  vicious.  Great  droves  and  herds 
of  them  are  found  in  the  foot  hills,  away  from  the 
villages  and  settlements.  When  any  one  or  more  of 
these  animals  is  needed  for  use,  the  herd  is  surrounded 
and  driven  into  some  strong  and  convenient  corral. 
The  corral  is  a  small  piece  of  ground  inclosed  with  a 
strong  fence  or  barricade  of  small  trees,  usually  cut  in 
lengths  to  suit  and  placed  on  end  in  a  ditch,  somewhat 
after  the  manner  of  a  stockade.  After  the  animals  are 
once  confined  inside  of  the  corral,  it  is  then  a  very 
easy  task  to  throw  the  lariat  over  the  heads  of  such 
as  are  needed.  The  rest  of  the  animals  are  then 
allowed  to  return  to  their  range,  and  they  generally  lose 
no  time  in  going. 

I  might  say  here  that  this  is  the  method  of  handling 
stock  throughout  the  west  beyond  the  Missouri  River. 
Horses  are  known  by  various  terms,  such  as  mustangs, 
broncos,  or  ciyuse.  Cattle  in  Mexico  are^  known  by 
the  following  terms:  souaves,  toros,  vacas,  and  so  on. 
Lassoing  those  wild,  vicious  animals,  where  so  many 
are  corralled  together,  is  attended  with  danger.  None 
but  a  daring,  resolute,  self-reliant  man  dare  enter  a  cor- 
ral full  of  wild  Mexican  stock  for  the  purpose  of  making 
selections.  After  the  lariat  has  been  thrown  and  the 
animal  is  ensnared,  an  exciting  scene  takes  place.  The 
lassoed  animal  goes  rearing,  plunging,  running,  strug- 


MEXICO. 


97 


gling,  and  snorting  through  the  herd  at  a  tremendous 
rate,  dragging  the  would-be  captor  after  it  for  a  time, 
it  may  be,  at  a  comparatively  easy  gait,  and  then  again 
lifting  him,  by  a  jerk,  several  feet  through  the  air.  By 
this  time  the  animals  all  become  frightened,  and  around 


MEXICAN    BORDER   INVASION. 


and  around  the  corral  they  go  until  assistance  enough 
has  arrived  to  hold  the  animal,  or  else  the  poor  beast 
gives  up  from  exhaustion. 

If  the  animal  be  a  horse,  he  is  led  out  and  a  saddle 
securely  fastened  to  his  back.     A  bridle,  that  needs  to 

7 


98  HOW  I  KNOW. 

be  seen  for  it  can  not  well  be  described,  is  also  put 
upon  him,  when  some  buckarier  advances  with  a  spur 
on  either  foot,  with  a  rowel  as  much  as  two  inches 
across,  and  locks  attached  to  the  center  pivot,  making 
as  much  noise  when  he  steps  as  a  little  boy  with  a 
parcel  of  bells.  The  horse  is  held,  generally,  until  the 
rider  is  seated  and  ready.  /Then  commences  another 
ordeal,  in  which  man  and  beast  are  generally  both  se- 
verely tried.  The  Mexican  horse  is  small,  but  yet  pos- 
sesses great  strength.  He  is  slender  limbed,  well-mus- 
cled, and  very  active.  They  very  seldom  weigh  one 
thousand  pounds,  unless  crossed  with  eastern  horses. 
They  can  be  ridden  or  driven  further  than  any  eastern 
horse  could  go  in  the  same  time  with  the  same 
treatment.  They  usually  get  no  grain,  and  even 
when  in  use  are  picketed  to  a  stake,  driven  firmly  into 
the  ground,  in  some  convenient  spot,  near  camp,  pro- 
ducing the  greatest  amount  of  grass.  These  horses 
have  often  been  ridden  one  hundred  miles,  and,  in  some 
of  the  Mexican  incursions  during  the  border  troubles, 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  a  single  day. 

Horses  here  and  in  southern  California  are  very 
cheap ;  whole  herds  can,  in  some  instances,  be  bought 
for  from  eight  to  twelve  dollars  per  head.  An  extra  good 
riding  horse  of  native  stock  can  be  had  for  from  twenty 
to  thirty  dollars. 

Mexico  is  a  beautiful  country.  The  climate  is  de- 
lightful. The  scenery  is  picturesque,  and  the  forests 
are  immense,  extending  along  the  sides  and  into  the 
gorges  and  canons  of  the  old  Sierra  Madre  range,  and 


MEXICO.  99 

overlooking  the  beautiful  valleys  beneath.  Some  of  the 
low  lands  in  the  valleys  are  covered  for  miles  each  way 
with  lagoons.  A  lagoon  is  a  very  shallow  lake,  cover- 
ing, sometimes,  thousands  of  acres  of  land.  In  the 
northern  part  of  the  Republic  there  are  large  deserts, 
or  plains,  where  there  is  no  vegetation,  neither  can 
wood  or  water  be  procured. 

Chihuahua  is  the  State  lying  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  the  Republic  just  south  of  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico.  This  State  is  very  thinly  settled  by  Indians 
only,  and  they  not  civilized.  The  valleys  are  small, 
and,  in  some  parts  where  there  is  water,  very  produc- 
tive. The  country  shows  unmistakable  signs  of  having 
once  contained  large  cities  and  towns,  the  ruins  of 
which  are  now  leveled  to  the  ground.  The  valleys  are 
of  a  sandy  soil,  which  washes  very  easily.  In  this 
shifting,  sandy  soil  there  are  found  covered,  or  partially 
covered,  ruins  of  old  chimneys  and  walls,  and  vases 
and  pottery  of  many  varieties,  mementoes  of  a  bygone 
race.  I  have  there  found  some  specimens  of  earthen- 
ware in  almost  a  perfect  state.  But,  generally,  time 
has  told  upon  it  and  it  is  found  in  scales,  not  entirely 
separated,  but  still  hanging  together,  showing  that  it 
has  been  ages  in  existence. 

Near  the  head  of  the  Rio  San  Miguel,  in  Chihuahua 
State,  there  is  what  is  called  the  Casas  Grandes  ruins, 
that,  no  doubt,  have  been  standing  for  hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  years,  but  which  to-day  can  be  examined 
as  easily  as  if  built  but  yesterday.  Some  of  the  build- 
ings are  still  partly  standing,  while  others  have  nothing 


100  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

left  to  mark  the  spot  they  once  occupied,  except  a  rough 
pile  of  earth  and  rock.  At  this  place  I  have  found 
earthen  pots  with  the  ornamental  figures  upon  them  as 
perfect  apparently  as  when  they  were  first  made. 
The  vessels,  however,  showed  great  age  and  rough 
usage.  I,  with  others,  have  dug  into  several  of  these 
heaps  of  ruins  to  see  if  we  could  unearth  anything.  We 
found  nothing  different  from  what  was  to  be  found  on 
the  surface.  We  found  abundant  proof,  however,  that 
at  some  time,  at  a  very  early  day,  there  had  been  a  city 
there  over  a  mile  square  in  extent.  There  is  evidence 
of  some  magnificent  buildings. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  ancient  cities  must  have 
been  of  a  race  far  superior  to  those  found  there  to-day. 
Many  large,  polished  blocks  of  stone  are  found.  Por- 
tions of  whitened  walls  are  still  standing  in  perfect 
shape.  Earthen-ware  vessels,  large  enough  to  hold  five 
gallons  have  been  discovered.  Hundreds  of  flint  arrow 
heads  are  found.  The  parts  of  walls  still  standing  have 
been  built  of  stone.  Where  the  walls  have  been  pro- 
tected from  the  storms  and  sun,  they  show  such  neat- 
ness of  finish  and  workmanship  as  shows  the  painstak- 
ing efforts  of  highly-skilled  workmen.  There  are  many 
places  in  Mexico,  where  ruins  similar  to  these  are  dis- 
covered. Northward  we  find  traces  of  ancient  cities. 
In  Arizona  there  are  innumerable  remains  of  villages, 
towns,  and  cities  that  have  long  since  crumbled  away. 

In  the  canons  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Territory, 
and  in  places  on  the  Rio  de  La  Mancas,  in  Arizona,  and 
on  the  Piorere,  and  in  the  country  of  the  Rio  Virgin 


MEXICO. 


101 


in  Utah,  ancient  dwellings  are  found  high  up  in  the 
cliffs.  On  the  Rio  Virgin  and  Rio  de  La  Mancas  these 
dwellings  are  deserted,  and  have  been  for  a  long  time. 
In  Arizona  the  Moqui  (pronounced  Mo-kee)  Indians 
inhabit  some  of  the  caves  and  rocky  houses  of  the  an- 
cient cliff-dwellers.  I  found  in  and  around  the  ruins 
of  Chihuahua  pottery  of  the  same  material,  character, 
manufacture  and  flowering  as  is  found  in  these  cliff  vil- 
lages. It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  these  may  have 
been  one  and  the  same  race  of  people.  Some  have 
thought  that 
the  p re-his- 
toric races  of 
Mexico  and 
Arizona  were 
two  distinct 
races  of  civil- 
ized  beings. 
My  idea  is 
that  they  be- 
longed to  one  and  the  same  race.  The  fragments  and 
ruins  are  all  similar,  with  only  this  difference  :  at  the 
ruins  of  the  Casas  Grandes  I  found  remains  of  polished 
walls  in  a  few  places.  These  I  saw  nowhere  else. 

The  Moqui  Indians  live  in  villages  or  houses,  some 
of  them  five,  six,  and  seven  stories  high.  These  struc- 
tures are  built  from  sand,  rock  and  mud.  The  lower 
story  has  a  strong  wall,  in  some  places  eight  feet  in 
thickness.  The  roof  of  the  first  story  forms  the  floor 
of  the  next,  which  is  entered  by  a  ladder  from  the  out- 


ARIZOXA    SAND    PLAINS. 


102  HOW  I  KNOW. 

side,  and,  when  necessary,  the  ladder  is  pulled  up  in- 
side. The  inside  walls  are  whitewashed,  and,  though 
their  houses  on  the  inside  look  rather  strange,  yet  they 
are  neat  and  tidy. 

Arizona  is  a  dry,  barren  country,  with  little  water 
and  less  vegetation,  unless  it  be  the  prickly  pear,  which 
covers  the  whole  face  of  the  earth.  No  soil  but  sand, 
which  lies  in  one  broad  expanse  of  heat  and  sultriness. 
Consequently  the  Moqui  Indians  are  not  farmers  and 
producers  from  the  soil  to  the  extent  that  some  writers 
have  represented.  They  have  in  places  little  gardens, 
perhaps  two  rods  square.  Their  houses  are  away  up 
in  the  cliffs,  like  sparrow  nests.  In  some  places  they 
are  as  much  as  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  valley  beneath,  and  they  can  only  reach  them  by 
the  aid  of  ropes  made  generally  from  raw-hide.  These 
Indians  are  fed,  clothed,  and  supported  by  the  Govern- 
ment through  its  agents. 

It  is  supposed  by  many  that  they  belong  to  the  an- 
cient New  Mexican  race,  called  "town-builders"  or  "cliff- 
dwellers,"  who  first  lived  in  cities  on  the  plateaus,  and, 
as  they  became  less  numerous  from  war  and  disease, 
removed  to  the  cliffs,  so  as  to  be  the  better  prepared 
to  resist  and  take  advantages  in  attacks  that  were  from 
time  to  time  made  upon  them  by  other  savage  tribes. 

There  is  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  they  are  descend- 
ants of  the  Scotch.  For  myself,  I  am  better  prepared 
to  believe  the  legend  than  to  think  they  descend  direct 
from  the  Indian,  Spanish,  or  any  of  the  northern  tribes. 
The  language  spoken  is  different  from  that  spoken  by 


MEXICO.  103 

•N 

any  of  the  other  Indian  tribes  in  the  West.  Many  of 
their  words  have  that  peculiarity  of  accent  so  notice- 
able among  the  broad-speaking  Scotch  people. 

The  Moquis  are  highly  sociable  in  their  rude  way, 
and  show  ready  hospitality  to  the  stranger.  Among 
themselves  they  are  most  wantonly  cruel.  They  are 
very  superstitious  in  their  belief,  and  worship  a  fire- 
god.  If  one  is  evil  disposed,  and  steals,  murders, 
or  commits  an  offense  which  they  consider  of  a 
very  serious  nature,  he  is  burned  in  a  furnace.  They 
are  very  ignorant,  yet  they  seem  to  have  sensitive  feel- 
ings. They  wear  woolen  clothes,  partly  of  their  own 
make  and  partly  such  as  the  agents  issue.  They  are 
lovers  of  the  chase,  and  continually  at  war  with  other 
tribes.  I  traveled  through  that  part  of  the  country, 
helping  to  make  a  government  survey. 

In  the  next  chapter  I  will  give  a  somewhat  extended 
account  of  this  little  known  part  of  our  country. 


104=  HOW  I  KNOW. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ARIZONA. 

WE  found  Arizona  the  worst  country  we  ever  saw: 
heat  oppressive,  sand  ankle-deep,  and  no  timber 
to  be  had  to  build  fires  for  cooking,  except  in  some 
places  small  quantities  of  "grease  wood,"  which  is  a  little 
thorny  bush  that,  in  Arizona,  only  grows  about  ten  or 
twelve  inches  in  height  and  not  to  exceed  one  inch  in 
thickness.  We  had  to  carry  our  water  with  us,  often 
carrying  enough  to  last  us,  if  used  sparingly,  for  two 
days. 

I  believe  Arizona  has  some  good  gold  and  silver- 
bearing  mines;  but  very  little  prospecting  has  been  done 
there.  Traveling  through  the  Territory  has  a  few  de- 
lightful features,  but  many  more  of  a  disagreeable  char- 
acter. On  the  whole,  when  the  prospector  once  gets 
there,  he  is  so  harrassed  by  Indians,  a  lack  of  provis- 
ions, water,  wood,  and  other  things,  that  his  next  move 
is  to  retrace  his  steps,  or  to  get  away  in  some  other 
direction  as  soon  as  possible. 

There  have  been  some  great  excitements  gotten  up  in 
order  to  induce  people  to  go  to  Arizona.  Great  stories 
of  rich  mines  of  gold  and  silver  have  been  published. 
It  is  said  that  a  Mr.  Janin  even  went  so  far  as  to  buy 
up  a  large  quantity  of  diamonds  in  London  and  in- 
duced people  to  go  to  Arizona  by  representing  that  he 


ARIZONA.  105 

had  discovered  vast  diamond  fields  there,  from  which 
he  had  obtained  the  diamonds  which  he  exhibited.  He 
stated  that  rubies,  emeralds,  opals,  garnets,  sapphires, 
and  diamonds  were  there  in  abundance  and  that,  if  he 
could  get  a  good  number  of  men  to  go  there,  millions  of 
wealth  were  in  store  for  them.  He  sent  specimens  to  the 
Savage  Mining  Company  to  be  tested,  who  pronounced 
them  genuine.  Others  were  sent  to  lapidaries  in  New 
York  City  for  testing.  The  decision  was,  of  course, 
every  time  satisfactory,  since  the  gems  submitted  were 
all  really  genuine.  This,  naturally,  soon  caused  a  ter- 
rible excitement  throughout  the  mining  communities  of 
the  West.  Hundreds  went  rushing  into  Arizona  from 
all  directions,  only  to  find,  when  too  late,  that  they  had 
been  disastrously  hoaxed.  A  great  many  perished  on 
the  road  out  for  want  of  supplies.  The  remainder  soon 
left,  for  there  was  nothing  for  such  a  vast  crowd  to 
subsist  upon. 

Perhaps  miners  will  some  time  learn  to  take 
these  great  excitements  for  what  they  are  worth,  and 
remain  where  they  are.  I  never  was  carried  away  by 
one  yet,  without  returning  poorer  than  when  I  started. 
And  so,  in  a  large  majority  of  case~  it  is  with  the  rest 
of  them. 

A  man,  to  prospect  properly  anywhere,  must  lay  in 
a  full  supply  of  blankets,  provisions,  a  prospecting  out- 
fit of  tools,  and  utensils  necessary  for  cooking.  When 
he  adds  to  these  his  gun  and  ammunition,  he  has  much 
more  of  a  load  than  he  can  carry.  He  is,  then,  com- 
pelled to  procure  a  pack-horse  or  two,  or  not  to  go  at 


106  HOW  I  KNOW. 

all.  Mexican  burros  are  plenty  and  cheap.  Good 
ones  can  be  bought  for  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  dol- 
lars, while  inferior  ones  can  be  had  for  the  taking  away. 
These  burros  are  small,  sorry-looking  animals,  with 
ears  nearly  as  long  as  their  legs,  and  heads  as  large  as 
their  bodies.  The  foot  is  like  a  mule's,  only  very  small, 
not  much  larger  than  a  trade  dollar.  When  the  burro 
walks,  you  must  be  near  him  to  be  sure  that  he  moves. 

These  animals  will  carry  a  load  weighing  from  one 
hundred  and  forty  to  three  hundred  pounds.  They 
carry  these  loads  across  the  mountains,  over  trails  and 
through  places  where  it  is  impossible  to  use  convey- 
ances of  any  other  kind.  There  are  saddles  made  on 
purpose  for  packing.  These  are  formed  of  four  short 
square  sticks,  two  in  front  crossed,  and  two  behind  in 
the  same  way.  Then  there  is  a  board  the  length  of  the 
saddle  on  either  side,  and  on  the  inside  of  the  sticks,  to 
keep  them  from  hurting  the  burro's  back.  This  pack- 
saddle  is  fastened  on  a  horse  in  the  same  way  that  any 
other  saddle,  by  "sinching"  or  girthing.  A  rope  is  then 
attached  to  the  front  cross-stake  of  the  saddle,  brought 
over  and  allowed  to  remain  across  the  saddle  double. 

Now  we  are  ready  to  begin  packing.  One  man 
generally  works  on  either  side.  The  first  two  bundles 
are  as  near  the  same  size  as  we  can  make  them.  One 
of  these  is  placed  on  each  side  of  the  saddle,  and  the 
rope  on  the  saddle  is  taken  and  tied  over  both,  to  stay 
them  until  the  load  is  made  up.  We  now  have  plenty 
of  room  to  pile  on  the  remainder,  consisting  of  our  bed, 
flour,  meat,  sugar,  coffee,  beans,  fish,  cooking  outfit — 


ARIZONA. 


107 


consisting  of  a  bake  oven,  frying  pan,  and  coffee  pot — 
and  our  prospecting  outfit,  consisting  of  a  sledge,  pick, 
shovel,  gold  pan,  etc.  By  the  time  our  burro  is  packed 
he  has  a  rather  heavy  weight  on  his  back  A  canvas 
cover  is  then  thrown  over  the  whole  load,  and  then 
everything  is  lashed  on  with  a  long  rope,  kept  for  the 
purpose,  solid  and  tight.  The  animal  might  roll  down 
a  mountain  for  a  half  mile  without  losing  a  single 
item,  A  train  of  packed  burros  contains  about  twenty, 
and  is  usually  run  by  two  men,  called  packers.  A 
prospector,  however,  seldom  uses 
more  than  two  burros,  and  gen- 
enerally  rides  a  mustang,  or  walks. 
Though  the  burros  are  good  all-day 
animals,  they  do  not  travel  far. 

Prospecting  in  Arizona  is  at- 
tended with  so  much  danger  from 
Indians  that  the  country  has  been 
explored  but  little.  One  may 
travel  there  day  after  day  without 
meeting  any  one  except  Indians 
and  half-breeds,  and  these  not  always  as  friendly  as 
they  might  be. 

Prospecting,  besides  being  very  laborious  work,  is 
very  injurious  to  the  health.  The  prospector  goes  climb- 
ing up  the  sides  of  mountains,  winding  around  through 
canons,  traveling  over  the  macas,  through  sand,  and 
over  burning  rocks,  sometimes  holding  on  to  bushes,  or 
clinging  vines,  and  again  catching  hold  of  rocks,  pull- 
ing up  precipices — all  for  the  pleasure  of  finding  hidden 


A    TRAIN    OF    BURROS. 


108 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


wealth. 


The    unexplored  mining   ranges  are  in  such 

rough,  broken-up 
belts  of  the  mount- 
ains that  it  is  im- 
possible to  travel 
through  on  horse- 
back where  the 
prospector  wants 
to  go.  Consequent- 
ly they  get  as  close 
as  they  can  with 
their  horses  and 
pack-animals,  and 
then  leave  them 
picketed  to  stakes 
on  the  best  grass, 
to  remain  there  un- 
til the  neighboring 
country  has  been 
prospected  on  foot. 
It  has  often  hap- 
pened in  the  south- 
western States,  that 
the  Indians  have 
been  watching  ev- 
ery movement  of 
the  prospecting 
party,  and,  as  soon 
as  they  leave  camp, 
PERILS  OF  PROSPECTING.  down  theycome  and 


ARIZONA.  109 

take  their  horses  and  everything  about  camp,  leaving  the 
miners  to  hunt  for  meat  and  to  foot  it  out  of  the  coun- 
try; that  is,  providing  they  are  spared  to  enjoy  that 
privilege,  which  is  not  by  any  means  always  the  case. 

Arizona  has  some  mines  worked,  no  doubt,  centu- 
ries ago.  There  are  tunnels  that  have  been  run  and 
are  now  nearly  full  of  loose  and  decomposing  rocks  and 
earth  that  have  fallen  in;  at  other  places  there  is  every 
indication  of  vast  expenditures  of  labor  having  been 
made,  in  ditching  and  in  scraping  off  the  bed-rock 
where  they  have  found  it.  There  are  shafts  that  have 
been  sunk  on  the  bars  until  they  have  been  forced  to 
abandon  them.  Hundreds  of  these  old  mines,  showing 
evidences  of  having  been  worked  long  ago,  can  be 
found  throughout  the  Territory.  No  one  of  the  present 
day  can  know  with  what  success  these  ancient  miners 
prosecuted  the  work. 

As  every  one  knows,  Arizona  Territory  is  inhabited 
chiefly  by  the  lower  classes  of  Mexicans  and  an  Indian 
population.  Every  day  in  the  week  is  marked  by  sim- 
ilar scenes  and  occupations.  I  dare  say  one-half  of  the 
people  do  not  know  when  Sunday  comes,  and  the  other 
half  do  not  care.  In  fact,  if  Sunday  is  observed  at  all 
it  is  by  the  special  devotion  of.  that  day  to  the  gambling 
table  and  horse-racing. 

Their  villages  are  generally  lined  on  each  side  by  a 
row  of  gambling  dens  and  miserable  billiard  and  drink- 
ing hells.  Passing  the  open  doorway  of  one  of  these 
places,  you  can  hear  the  voice  of  some  one  calling  out 
something  at  regular  intervals,  and  can  see  a  deeply 


110 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


interested  crowd  standing  or  sitting  in  the  interior. 
This  proves  it  to  be  a  gambling  house.  Now  just  step 
inside.  The  game  may  be  keno.  (They  play  many  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  games.)  If  so,  the  caller  stands  at  a  small 
table  facing  the  open  doorway,  and  has  in  his  hands  a  hol- 
low tin  cylinder  containing  dice.  These  dice  bear  figures 
representing  different  animals  and  vegetables,  counter- 
parts of  which  are  supposed  to  be  on  the  cards  in  the 

hands  of  the  players.  A  few 
vigorous  shakes  of  the  cylinder 
and  the  game  and  sing-song 
commences.  So  intent  are  the 
players  in  listening  to  the 
words  falling  from  the  caller's 
lips,  and  in  watching  the  cards 
lying  before  them,  that  the 
entrance  of  a  stranger  into  the 
room  is  unnoticed,  and  conse- 
quently attracts  no  attention. 
A  crowd  of  Spanish  or 
Mexican  men,  women  and 
children  fills  the  room.  All  are  intent  on  the  one  ob- 
ject. Here  they  spend  the  last  cent  they  have. 

The  few  Americans  and  people  of  other  nationalities 
who  live  in  the  Territory  are  as  bad  as  the  others.  As 
far  as  I  could  see  and  judge,  gambling  is  the  leading 
topic  of  conversation,  and  the  foremost  thought  of  the 
mind.  Here  you  see  men  make  themselves,  many  of 
them,  so  degraded  that  they  leave  all  enjoyment  of  that 
which  is  right,  reasonable,  and  just,  and  seemingly  are 


CIVILIZATION    IN    ARIZONA. 


4 

ARIZONA.  Ill 

contented  only  when  around  these  places  of  resort. 
However,  there  is  no  other  resort  here  unless  it  be  to 
view  Nature  in  solitude. 

Let  us  go  out  and  proceed  a  little  further  up  or 
down  the  street.  Here  we  encounter  Indians  congre- 
gated before  the  very  corner  saloon  where  they  have  un- 
doubtedly obtained  the  liquor  that  has  intoxicated  them. 
With  disheveled  hair,  foaming  mouths,  and  disordered 
and  dilapidated  garments,  they  present  a  very  disgust- 
ing and  pitiable  sight,  while  their  discordant  voices, 
joining  in  some  Indian  song, 
grate  harshly  upon  the  ear. 
Similar  sounds  come  forth  from 
the  open  doors  and  windows  of 
the  adjoining  houses,  indicating 
the  presence  of  others  in  a  like 

Condition.       In   another  portion  of      AN  ARIZONA  SCRIMMAGE. 

the  town,  in  front  of  some  crumbling  adobes,  we  see 
a  number  of  game  cocks  picketed  at  regular  intervals 
apart.  By  and  by  these  will  afford  amusement  to  their 
owners  and  the  spectators  by  being  pitted  one  against 
the  other.  They  also  provide  a  means  by  which  the 
insatiable  desire  to  gamble,  which  seems  to  have  taken 
such  firm  hold  of  the  native  western  people,  may  be 
gratified.  It  seems  to  be  almost  a  mania  with  the  most 
of  them  to  take  sides  by  betting  in  all  games  or  trials 
of  chance. 

Perchance  a  hand  to  hand  fight  closes  the  day's  orgies. 
I  look  upon  these  facts,  which  portray  in  the  average 
citizen  of  Arizona  so  much  of  worthlessness,  ignorance, 


112  HOW  I  KNOW. 

and  vanity,  and  speculate  upon  the  probability  of  his 
reformation  with  a  feeling  that  any  rational  person 
might  experience  if  gazing  upon  a  greased  elephant 
which  he  had  been  commanded  to  swallow!  There 
is  no  hope.  Civilization  can  do  nothing  with  a  people 
so  ignorant  and  self-degraded;  so  lawless  and  so  vain. 


NAVAJOES. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

NAVAJOES. 

IN  1874,  twelve  of  us  started  on  horseback  from 
Fort  Defiance,  in  the  western  part  of  New  Mexico, 
near  the  eastern  line  of  Arizona,  to  go  to  the  junction 
of  Green  and  Grand  Rivers,  in  Utah,  to  a  place  known 
as  the  Old  Mormon  Fort,  of  which  I  will  speak  more 
fully  after  we  have  reached  it.  Our  intention  was  to 
travel  across  the  country  of  the  Pueblos  and  Navajoes, 
since  by  that  route  it  was  some  six  hundred  miles  nearer 
than  it  would  be  to  go  around. 

We  had  an  Indian  trail  nearly  all  the  way.  I  car- 
ried a  compass  with  me  all  the  time,  and  had  been 
with  a  surveying  corps,  establishing  Government  boun- 
daries, for  three  years.  I  had,  also,  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  mountains,  and  felt  confident  that  I  could  pilot  a 
company  of  men  through  the  Territory  without  the 
least  danger  of  getting  lost,  if  not  molested  or  interfered 
with  by  the  Indians,  who  are  as  thick  in  that  country 
as  grasshoppers  in  Kansas.  It  being  so  much  nearer 
across,  no  one  belonging  to  the  party  would  hear  of 
any  other  route  being  taken,  and  all  insisted  that  I 
should  be  the  leader  of  the  party. 

We  expected  to  be  able  to  make  the  trip  across  in 
twenty  days.  We  procured  riding  and  pack  animals, 
and  laid  in  a  twenty  days'  supply  of  provisions.  We 

8 


114  HOW  I  KNOW. 

took  no  more  than  this,  since  we  had  no  doubt  but  that 
we  could  procure  provisions  in  Utah  as  cheap  as  in 
New  Mexico,  and  cheaper  than  in  Arizona.  We  did 
not  want  to  be  encumbered  with  so  many  pack  ani- 


SCENE    IN    THE    SIERRA    DEL    CARISO    RANGE. 

mals  and  so  much  stuff.  We  had  bedding  and  every 
thing  necessary  for  camping  out  comfortably.  We 
carried,  also,  good  rifles,  revolvers,  and  plenty  of  am- 
munition to  use  on  our  way,  if  occasion  should  require  it. 


NA  VAJOES.  115 

The  first  day  we  traveled  through  sand  and  some 
alkali.  The  next  day  traveling  was  a  little  better;  we 
got  on  higher  ground,  and  could  move  along  without 
being  wearied  to  death  with  the  alkali  and  sand.  When 
we  came  to  the  Sierra  del  Cariso  we  traveled  through 
portions  of  the  range  of  great  natural  beauty  and 
grandeur.  The  mighty  mountain  crags  lifted  their  jag- 
ged crests  to  dizzy  heights  toward  the  deep  blue  of  the 
distant  heaven.  In  many  places  their  summits  were 
lost  to  view  in  the  midst  of  masses  of  fleecy  clouds 
that  cling  around  their  snow-clad  slopes,  while  midway 
up  the  sides  of  some  of  these  mighty  mountain  peaks 
were  stunted  pines  of  a  green  and  verdant  hue  peeping 
from  out  of  the  midst  of  the  eternal  snows  around 
them.  A  little  lower  on  the  slopes  is  an  occasional 
tract  of  pines  or  firs,  often  acres  in  extent,  with  the 
trees  all  dead — some  standing,  others  leaning  ready  to 
topple  over  writh  the  slightest  push,  and  a  great  portion 
lying  in  confusion,  just  as  they  had  been  prostrated  by 
the  fires  from  Indian  encampments,  or  the  wrinds  had 
thrown  them. 

The  valleys  lying  between  the  hills  were  here  cov- 
ered with  a  peculiar  grass,  such  as  is  seen  no  where 
else  in  the  Territory,  in  a  dead  and  dried-up  state.  The 
noisy  rush  of  the  swollen  mountain  streams  (for  there 
had  been  recent  rains)  as  they  went  rushing  down 
their  meandering  courses  through  the  deep  canons,  the 
far  away  mountains  veiled  in  the  hazy  enchantment  of 
distance,  the  charming  little  mountain  parks,  breaking 
in  upon  the  view  here  and  there,  threaded  by  pure 


116  HOW  I  KNOW. 

rivulets,  sparkling  with  trout,  and  shut  in  by  arrow-like 
quaking  asps,  balsams,  and  firs,  altogether  made  a 
scene  which  awakened  the  liveliest  emotions  within  us, 
which  found  vent  in  animated  conversation  and  song. 
Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  the  grand  sublimity  that  envel- 
oped the  higher  peaks  as  they  stood  in  the  majesty  of 
primeval  beauty,  snow-crowned  and  half  hidden  in 
enfolding  clouds,  often  hushed  us  to  silence. 

It  had  been  stormy  weather,  as  we  could  see  before 
we  ascended  the  mountains,  and,  as  we  approached  the 
summit,  we  knew  there  was  yet  more  in  wait  for  us, 
for,  as  night  drew  near,  it  grew  darker  and  more  dreary. 
We  selected  as  our  camping  place  a  cluster  of  trees 
with  a  small  strip  of  grass  near  by.  This  furnished 
feed  for  our  mustangs,  while  the  chaparrals  afforded 
some  protection  and  shelter  from  the  wind;  but  not 
much  from  the  rain.  We  made  our  horses  fast  to 
stakes  driven  into  the  ground.  We  protected  our  packs 
from  the  rain,  that  was  by  this  time  falling  in  torrents 
out  of  the  darkness  above  us,  by  piling  all  up  in  one 
large  heap,  and  covering  this  up  with  canvas.  We  had 
no  tents,  and  there  were  no  houses  nearer  than  those 
we  had  left  some  two  hundred  miles  behind.  No  cook- 
ing could  be  done,  for  we  could  not  build  a  fire.  Ev- 
erything was  wet,  green,  and  soaked  through. 

After  several  unsuccessful  attempts  had  been  made  by 
different  ones  to  light  a  fire,  and  all  the  paper  and  kindling 
material  that  we  carried  had  been  consumed  to  no  pur- 
pose, and  a  good  share  of  our  matches  had  been  wasted, 
we  concluded  to  do  without  fire.  We  made  a  very  light 


NAVAJOES.  117 

supper  of  crackers  and  raw  meats.  We  made  prepara- 
tions to  camp  for  the  night  by  cutting  some  of  the 
largest  chaparrals,  and  placing  two  on  end  in  the  ground 
opposite  each  other,  allowing  the  upper  ends  to  stand 
up  four  or  five  feet  high,  with  a  ridge  pole  resting  on 
them.  The  two  posts  were  placed  just  far  enough 
apart  to  allow  a  double  blanket  to  be  stretched  over 
the  ridge  pole,  thus  forming  a  tent  and  making  splendid 
shelter  for  the  night,  where  four  persons  could  sleep 
very  comfortably. 

The  storm  lasted  all  night,  and  until  ten  o'clock  the 
next  day.  We  then  built  a  large  fire,  and  dried  our 
clothing  and  blankets,  and,  at  the  same  time,  prepared 
something  to  eat,  for  we  had  eaten  but  very  little  since 
the  morning  before,  and  we  were  all  feeling  hungry, 
and  none  the  better  for  the  poor  rest  of  the  night. 
After  breakfast  we  cleaned  and  dried  our  guns  and  re- 
volvers; then  saddled  our  animals,  and  packed  up. 
Proceeding  on  in  the  afternoon,  we  found  every  gorge 
in  the  mountain  full  of  water,  that  went  roaring  and 
pitching  down  its  sides,  washing  before  it  everything 
that  was  loose  enough  to  be  moved.  Whole  trees 
could  be  seen  floundering  and  bouncing  and  crashing 
along  over  precipices  and  around  the  rocks,  turning 
sharp  angles,  swept  on  by  the  mighty  torrent  to  the 
valleys  below. 

We  pushed  forward  without  any  road  or  trail  to 
guide  us,  the  rain  having  completely  obliterated  it.  We 
encountered  streams  and  bodies  of  water  continually 
during  the  afternoon,  a  few  of  which  we  could  leap 


118 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


over,  but  most  of  which  we  were  compelled  to  ford. 
About  four  o'clock  we  struck  a  trail  bearing  in  the 
direction  we  wanted  to  go.  We  followed  it  the  re- 
mainder of  the  evening,  until  we  came  to  a  splendid 
spring  of  water,  bubbling  out  of  the  rocks.  There 
was  grass  near  by,  so  we  camped  for  the  night.  But 

we  could  find  no 
wood.  We  gath- 
ered old  moss  and 
such  stuff  as  wild 
animals  gather  to- 
gether for  beds  in 
the  neighborhood  of 
ledges  of  rocks.  We 
managed  to  make 
fire  enough  to  boil 
our  coffee  and  fry 
our  meat,  which  two 
articles  soon  disap- 
peared. 

The  next  day  we 
followed  the  mount- 
ain trail,  which  still 
led  in  the  direction 
we  were  going.  It  was  barely  wide  enough  for  a  horse 
to  travel  on.  It  went  winding  around  cliffs,  often  on  the 
very  brink  of  precipices  hundreds  of  feet  deep.  Should  a 
horse  fall,  he  would  be  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks  be- 
neath. Not  relishing  the  idea  of  such  a  death,  the  most  of 
us  led  our  horses  along  the  most  difficult,  narrow'passes. 


FOLLOWING   A    MOUNTAIN    TRAIL. 


NA  VAJOES.  119 

That  night  we  camped  in  a  large  forest.  From 
every  side  all  manner  of  strange  noises  could  be  heard. 
The  screaming  of  panthers  and  wild  cats,  the  screech- 
ing of  birds,  and  the  croaking  of  innumerable  frogs, 
made  up  a  concert  that  was  novel  and  lively,  if  not 
agreeable.  One  who  has  never  spent  a  night  in  a 
mountain  forest  can  form  no  just  conception  of  the 
strange  and  unearthly  noises  which  make  the  hours  of 
darkness  hideous.  Oftentimes,  while  one  is  asleep,  some 
wild  animal  will  come  up  and  smell  around  your  couch 
and,  perhaps,  give  some  terrifying  howl  that  will  cause 
you  almost  instinctively  to  clutch  your  gun  and  bound 
from  your  bed.  Looking  around  you  behold  the  glaring 
eyes  of  some  wild  beast  fixed  upon  and  watching  you. 
It  may  be  a  panther,  mountain  lion,  grizzly  bear,  Mex- 
ican jaguar,  American  tiger,  wolf,  or  some  other  of  the 
hundreds  of  wild  beasts  that  inhabit  those  wildernesses. 
You  may  hear  him  snuff  the  air  and  walk  away,  for  the 
chances  are  it  will  be  so  dark  that  you  can  not  shoot. 
These  wrild  animals,  however,  seldom  attack  a  man, 
unless  goaded  by  hunger  or  wounds. 

The  next  morning  when  we  got  up  all  were  com- 
plaining of  a  sleepless  night,  and  some  of  sore  limbs 
and  aching  heads.  After  everything  was  ready  for  the 
march,  we  descended  to  the  valley  below,  thinking  to 
travel  up  the  valley,  as  we  would  have  easier  traveling 
and,  at  the  same  time,  be  out  where  we  could  see  what 
was  going  on.  This  last  object  was  quite  desirable,  for 
we  were  now  in  an  Indian  country.  The  pony  and 
mocassin  tracks  of  the  Navajoes  could  be  plainly  seen 


120  JIOW  I  KNOW. 

on  all  sides.  We  kept  our  rifles  constantly  in  front  of 
us,  ready  for  instant  use.  The  day  was  passed,  how- 
erer,  without  seeing  an  Indian,  though  we  were  con- 
stantly on  the  alert,  for  we  knew  that  the  Indians  were 
numerous  all  through  this  section  of  country. 

We  halted  before  sundown,  ate  supper,  and  smoked 
awhile.  Some  of  the  boys  were  just  saddling  up  to 
proceed  onward,  I  was  taking  a  little  stroll  from  camp 
and  smoking  along  at  my  leisure,  when  suddenly  and, 
after  all,  unexpectedly,  I  beheld  a  traveler,  clad  in 
buckskin,  hastily  making  his  way  toward  us.  He  car- 
ried a  Henry  rifle  in  front  of  him,  and  a  pair  of  huge 
pistols  and  a  hunting  knife  in  his  belt.  His  belt  was 
well  filled  with  cartridges.  He  seemed  to  be  peering 
around,  and  watching  every  moving  object,  and  listen- 
ing keenly  to  every  sound;  but  seemingly  intent,  nev- 
ertheless, on  coming  to  us.  After  he  came  near  enough, 
I  could  see  that  he  was  a  young  man,  thirty-four  or 
five  years  of  age;  and,  upon  forming  his  acquaintance, 
I  found  him  to  be  a  light-hearted  and  jovial  fellow. 
He  was,  however,  one  of  those  sons  of  Kentucky,  whose 
early  education  had  been  sadly  neglected,  for  he  could 
not  read  nor  even  write  his  name.  He  was  gifted  with 
a  good  share  of  caution,  and  was  firm  as  a  grizzly — two 
qualities  which  we  much  needed  afterwards  as  you  will 
learn,  for  Bennett  and  I  remained  chums  for  the  next 
eighteen  months.  He  had  carried  the  United  States 
mail  for  over  a  year  through  Arizona,  and  was  at  this 
time  off  duty. 

After  the  usual  salutations  were  passed  and  our  vis- 


NAVAJOES.  121 

itor  had  sat  down  to  a  supper  one  of  our  boys  had 
prepared  for  him,  the  general  conversation  in  refer- 
ence to  business  and  matters  generally,  — "  What  are 
you  doing,  and  where  are  you  going  ?"  came  and 
went  at  random,  as  is  usual  on  such  occasions.  But, 
to  cut  the  story  short,  Bennett  was  persuaded  into  the 
notion  of  going  with  our  party  into  Utah  Territory 
He  had  been  out  at  one  of  the  agencies,  and  was  then 
on  his  way  to  California  District,  in  Arizona.  He  had 
seen  us  as  he  was  crossing  one  of  the  divides,  and  had 
come  down  to  see  who  we  were.  He  said  the  Indians 
were  watching  us  as  he  supposed,  or  else  we  would 
have  seen  plenty  of  them  before  we  got  to  the  heart 
of  their  country,  as  he  had  seen  numbers  of  them  that 
day,  but  none  in  speaking  distance.  After  supper  we 
again  made  ready,  and  were  soon  on  our  way  to  find 
a  place  to  camp  for  the  night.  During  the  evening  I 
gave  Bennett  to  understand  what  our  business  was — 
that  we  were  a  company  of  prospectors,  going  to  the 
Elk  Mountains,  at  the  junction  of  Green  and  Grand 
Rivers,  to  hunt  for  some  of  the  hidden  wealth  that 
was  supposed  to  lie  there  in  chunks  as  large  as  hogs- 
heads. Bennett  went  with  us  until  we  changed  our 
minds  and  concluded  not  to  go  through.  About  nine 
o'clock  we  camped  for  the  night,  all  lying  down  to 
sleep  except  the  man  on  guard.  We  had  no  fire,  as 
that  would  be  seen  a  long  distance,  and  would  reveal 
our  whereabouts. 

The  next  morning  we  had  brought  our  horses  close 
to  camp,  and  were  just  ready  to  pack  and  saddle,  when 


122  HOW  I  KNOW. 

one  of  the  men  on  the  lookout,  sung  out,  "Injuns!  In- 
juns!" Immediately  the  camp  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
terrible  excitement,  and  though  everything  was  lying 
near  at  hand,  yet  some  of  the  men  could  not  see  their 
guns.  There  were  two  in  the  party  who  could  find 
nothing  they  wanted,  or  that  belonged  to  them.  I 
gave  these  two  and  another  one  orders  to  attend  to  the 
horses.  One  of  them  grabbed  an  ax  and  went  to 
driving  the  picket  pins  down  tight,  so  as  not  to  let  our 
horses  be  stampeded  and  get  away  from  us.  Up  to 
this  time  none  of  us  except  the  sentinel  had  seen  the 
Indians.  I  gave  orders,  that  if  we  had  to  fight  we 
should  scatter  out,  so  as  to  protect  the  horses,  and  at 
the  same  time,  for  each  one  to  look  out  and  secure 
safety  for  himself.  I  then  took  my  gun  and  ran  up  on 
a  little  eminence,  a  short  distance  from  camp,  so  I 
could  get  a  better  view,  and  ascertain  about  how  many 
there  were  of  the  Indians;  and  whether  we  seemed  to 
be  the  object  of  their  attention,  or  not. 

Having  gained  the  eminence,  I  could  see  twenty- 
seven  Indians,  not  more  than  one  quarter  of  a  mile 
away,  coming  down  upon  us  with  their  horses  on  a 
full  run.  They  were  painted  up  in  the  most  warlike 
manner.  I  had  scarcely  gained  the  eminence  before  I 
was  observed.  They  had  been  coming  in  single  file; 
but  now  they  commenced  to  quicken  their  speed  still 
more,  and  to  scatter  over  more  ground,  so  as  not  to 
expose  so  many  to  the  same  range.  As  soon  as  I  got 
sight  of  them  I  knew  we  would  have  to  fight,  or  fare 
worse.  I  looked  around  for  some  place  wrhere  I  could 


NA  VAJOES. 


123 


run  for  safety.     I  saw  the  boys  going  it  in  all  directions, 
hunting  for  the  best  holes  to  creep  into.     I  noticed  a 


ATTACKED      BY      NAVAJO      INDIANS. 


rock,  as  I  supposed  it  to  be,  between  where  I  was  and 
the  horses,  a  little  to  the   right  of  the  direction  from 


124  HOW  I  KNOW. 

which  the  Indians  were  coming.  I  broke  for  that;  but 
was  terribly  disappointed  when  I  got  to  it,  for  it  was 
nothing  but  a  sand  heap  the  ants  had  piled  up.  But  I 
had  no  time  to  run  further.  The  Indians  had  already 
gained  the  eminence,  and  were  coming  down  on  us  as 
fast  as  their  horses  could  carry  them,  and  making  a 
more  fearful  noise  with  their  yells  than  ten  times  that 
many  coyotes  possible  could  make.  I  had  run  a  con- 
siderable distance  and  their  horses  had  gained  on  me 
until  they  were  not  over  one  hundred  yards  away. 

The  boys  had  all  scattered,  so  that  none  of  them 
could  be  seen  except  the  three  who  were  holding  the 
horses.  The  others  had  gone,  as  I  said,  every  fellow 
for  himself,  and  not  a  shot  had  been  fired  until  I  reached 
my  ants'  nest,  when,  as  I  threw  myself  behind  it,  a 
whole  volley  of  bullets  went  singing  over  my  head  and 
into  the  sand  above  me.  The  Indians  then  made  a 
break  to  capture  or  stampede  the  horses.  Up  to  this 
time  I  had  heard  but  two  shots  fired  by  our  side.  But 
as  soon  as  they  made  for  the  horses  then  they  were 
brought  fairly  into  view,  and  a  stream  of  leaden  bullets 
was  poured  into  their  midst  from  all  sides.  Horses  and 
riders  went  careening  and  falling  together.  They  could 
stand  it  no  longer  than  about  ten  minutes,  when  they 
started  on  a  retreat.  They  almost  ran  over  me,  when 
retreating.  One  of  them  certainly  would  have  done  so 
had  he  not  been  killed  on  his  way. 

They  lost  ten  of  their  warriors  and  six  horses.  One 
of  our  men  who  was  holding  the  horses  was  killed, 
and  another  shot  through  the  ear.  This,  together  with 


NAVAJOES.  125 

the  general  frightfulness  of  the  situation  was  enough  to 
make  a  man  feel  scared.  The  Indians  seldom  leave 
their  dead  upon  the  field.  But  we  got  six  of  these, 
and  only  four  were  carried  off.  The  reason  the  dead 
bodies  are  carried  off  the  field,  is  because  the  Indians 
generally  tie  themselves  to  the  saddle  by  a  strap  that 
comes  over  the  thighs  and  holds  them  on  tight,  ena- 
bling them  to  lean  themselves  from  either  side  of  a 
horse,  -and  pick  up  an  object  from  the  ground,  the  horse 
being  at  the  same  time  on  a  dead  run.  These  ponies 
are  accustomed  to  running  together,  and  will  keep 
together,  rider  or  no  rider,  if  let  alone.  So  that  if  an 
Indian  is  killed  his  pony  will  take  him  to  camp,  there 
to  meet  a  burial  after  the  customs  of  their  tribe. 

We  buried  our  dead  comrade  by  wrapping  him  up 
in  his  blankets  and  placing  him  in  the  sand  about  three 
feet  deep.  We  threw  the  bodies  of  the  Indians  into  a 
shallow  ditch  and  pushed  some  sand  over  them.  This 
might  be  considered  a  little  rough;  but  such  is  the 
custom  of  the  country.  This  is  far  better,  moreover, 
than  the  Indians  do  themselves,  as  I  will  show  soon. 
The  Indians  retreated  in  the  direction  from  which  they 
came,  none  of  us  following  them.  It  was  not  our  in- 
tention to  molest  them,  or  to  interfere  in  any  way  with 
their  interests,  if  only  permitted  to  travel  through  their 
country  in  peace. 

We  now  packed  up  and  moved  on,  as  we  wanted  to 
get  through  as  soon  as  we  could,  and  not  to  give  them 
a  chance  to  murder  our  whole  party.  This,  I  remem- 
ber, was  as  lovely  a  day  as  I  ever  saw;  but  yet  we 


126  HOW  I  KNOW. 

were  depressed,  and  felt  sad  on  account  of  our  dead 
comrade.  His  name  was  Charles  Willett;  he  was  from 
Illinois — I  do  not  know  from  what  part  of  the  State. 
He  was  twenty-seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  and  a  very 
fine  young  man;  and  was  well  liked  by  all  of  his  com- 
rades in  the  West.  About  noon,  or  a  little  after,  we 
came  to  some  splendid  water  and  grass.  Here  we 
halted  and  let  the  mustangs  rest  and  eat,  and  provided 
dinner  for  ourselves.  After  resting  awhile  we  moved 
on  to  the  mouth  of  the  canon  where  the  mountain  is 
traversed  by  the  San  Re  Nado  Pass. 

We  had  traveled  perhaps  two  miles  up  the  canon 
when  the  Indians  again  set  upon  us.  They  were  be- 
hind rocks,  on  top  of  the  bluffs,  and,  in  fact,  they  were 
everywhere  it  was  possible  to  hide.  Not  an  Indian 
had  we  seen  since  morning — not  ieven  an  Indian  sign 
marked  the  way.  The  first  warning  was  a  volley  of 
bullets  coming  from  the  bluffs,  from  every  rock  and 
hole  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  behind,  in  front,  and  above 
us  ;  every  place  was  filled  with  the  noise  arid  alarm  of 
the  Indian  rifles,  and  they  so  well  concealed  that  not 
one  was  to  be  seen.  We  saw  at  once  that  we  were 
lost;  for  in  such  a  place  there  could  be  no  salvation  lor 
us  if  we  went  any  further.  Some  of  our  comrades  had 
fallen  at  the  first  volley,  and  more  were  falling  now. 
We  beat  a  retreat  as  fast  as  we  could.  When  we  got 
out  of  reach  of  their  guns  we  found  that  we  had  lost 
seven  men  and  all  of  our  pack  animals,  food,  blankets — 
everything  except  such  things  as  we  had  in  our  pockets. 

There    were    only    four    of   our    original  party    left. 


NAVAJOES. 


127 


These,  with  Bennett,  making  five  of  us,  were  left 
to  beat  our  retreat  as  best  we  could.  We  had  been 
only  seven  days  out,  and  eight  of  our  comrades  were 


AX    IXDIAX    AMBUSCADE. 


already  dead,  and  the  rest  of  us  in  the  greatest  danger. 
There  were  Indians  on  all  sides  of  us,  whithersoever 
we  might  go.  Only  a  few  moments  before  we  had  felt 


128  HOW  I  KNOW. 

very  jolly  and  confident  of  getting  through  without  fur- 
ther fighting.  Now  there  was  no  hope;  the  best  we 
could  do  was  to  beat  a  retreat,  back  the  way  we  came, 
as  best  we  might  without  provisions.  The  Indians 
followed  us  all  that  evening.  We  traveled  all  night, 
and  all  the  next  day  and  night.  We  halted  long 
enough,  at  places  where  there  was  water  and  grass,  to 
let  our  horses  rest  and  feed  awhile,  for  everything 
depended  upon  them. 

We  were  of  course  getting  hungry  and  tired  our- 
selves; but  the  Indians  were  still  in  sight,  pursuing  us. 
Signals  could  be  seen  in  all  directions.  We  knew  that 
they  were  following  us  up  as  fast  as  their  jaded  horses 
would  permit.  We  could  occasionally,  from  some  of 
the  high  points  we  were  passing  over,  see  them  in  the 
distance  coming  toward  us  as  fast  as  their  ponies  could 
be  urged  along. 

For  two  nights  and  better  than  a  day  we  had  not 
tasted  a  morsel  to  eat.  We  knew  of  a  small  stream  of 
water  a  little  farther  ahead,  which  we  had  crossed  over 
on  our  way  out,  where  we  had  seen  some  fish.  We 
had  not  seen  any  game  that  day,  or  the  day  before,  to 
kill;  and  the  fish  were  our  only  hope  of  relief  from 
several  days  more  of  hunger  and  suffering.  We  struck 
out  for  the  stream,  and  fortune  favored  our  efforts  for 
once,  for  we  encountered  no  Indians  on  our  road,  nor 
at  the  creek.  We  went  to  work  with  a  saddle-blanket 
for  a  net,  and  were  not  long  in  catching  more  than 
we  could  eat  of  the  nicest  kind  of  small  trout,  from 
three  to  six  inches  in  length.  We  wasted  no  time  in 


NA  VAJOES.  129 

cleaning  them  and  roasting  them  on  sticks  before  the 
fire,  without  salt  or  anything  else,  unless  it  was  smoke, 
for  seasoning.  We  thought  them  excellent;  as  good 
as  we  had  ever  eaten. 

After  resting  a  short  time  longer  we  moved  on 
higher  up  the  mountain.  Here  we  found  a  small  park. 
We  picketed  our  horses  and  took  the  first  rest  we  had 
been  able  to  enjoy  for  some  time.  Our  feet  were  all 
swollen,  and  we  were  tired  and  sore  from  riding  so  far 
and  sitting  so  long  in  the  saddle.  Our  horses  looked 
wretched.  They  \vere  worn  out.  Their  feet  were 
very  sore  and  tender.  Their  limbs  were  all  scratched, 
bruised,  bleeding,  and  swollen,  and  they  could  scarcely 
walk.  We  took  them  to  a  little  spring  near  by,  and 
washed  their  backs  and  limbs  all  over  with  cold  water, 
which  we  dipped  from  the  stream  in  our  hats.  We 
then  rubbed  them  dry,  and  tied  them  to  stakes  where 
they  could  be  allowed  to  eat  grass.  They  soon  seemed 
much  revived.  We  washed  and  bathed  ourselves  as 
best  we  could  by  taking  turns,  some  keeping  a  lookout 
all  the  time  lest  the  Indians  might  try  to  come  on  us 
unawares  as  before. 

After  all  were  done  bathing,  and  we  were  feeling 
considerably  refreshed,  we  went  to  work,  and  soon 
gathered  a  small  quantity  of  dry,  quaking  asp  limbs,  and 
built  a  small  fire,  being  very  careful  not  to  make  enough 
smoke  to  be  seen  at  any  distance.  We  roasted  on 
sticks  the  remainder  of  the  fish  which  we  had  brought 
with  us.  We  then  took  turns  in  guarding  the  horses 
through  the  night,  while  the  rest  would  sleep.  We  did 

9 


130  HOW  I  KNOW. 

not  get  much  sleep,  however,  for  the  night  was  cold, 
and  we  had  no  covering,  except  the  small  blankets 
used  under  the  saddles.  These  were  damp  with  the 
sweat  of  the  horses  and  full  of  hair.  We  did  not  dare 
to  build  a  fire,  as  the  light  would  reveal  our  place  of 
camping  a  long  distance  away,  and  show  the  Indians 
our  exact  locality,  and  none  of  us  were  desiring  another 
fight.  We  were  thankful  that  we  were  alive. 

We  formed  a  sad  little  group  as  we  huddled  around 
close  together,  telling  one  another  how  near  we  came 
to  being  left  with  our  comrades  in  the  San  Re  Nado 
Pass.  The  Indians  would,  no  doubt,  have  a  big  pow- 
wow and  war-dance  over  the  scalps  of  our  brave  fellows. 
Such  things  may  be  read  of,  perhaps,  without  causing 
much,  if  any,  emotion  of  feeling ;  but  no  pen  can  paint 
the  picture;  no  tongue  can  tell  of  it;  no  idea  can  be  con- 
veyed to  a  person  who  has  never  been  where  the  dread- 
ful war-whoop  sends  terror  to  the  strongest  heart,  and 
a  shudder  even  to  the  very  depths  of  the  soul,  of  the 
feelings  one  has  under  such  circumstances. 

Even  now  I  imagine  I  can  see  again  my  comrades 
as  they  conversed  together  around  the  camp-fire,  or 
sung  their  merry  songs,  while  traveling  over  the  deso- 
late wilds  of  the  West.  Again  I  see  them  in  the  fierce 
struggle  for  life  or  death  with  the  red  men,  falling  dead 
or  mortally  wounded,  to  be  a  sacrifice  to  the  knife  of 
the  dusky  warriors.  They  take  no  prisoners.  No 
mercy  is  shown  the  white  man  that  is  unfortunate 
enough  to  fall  into  their  hands  in  time  of  war. 

Our  sleep   on  this  night  was  none  of  the  soundest, 


NAVA  JOES.  131 

for,  besides  the  cold,  perhaps  by  the  time  we  were 
commencing  to  doze,  some  wild  animal  would  utter 
some  fearful  scream,  striking  new  terror  to  our  hearts. 
Such  was  the  first  night's  rest  we  had  taken  for  some 
time.  At  three  o'clock  we  saddled  our  horses  and 
started.  It  was  well  for  us  that  we  did  so,  for  the  In- 
dians were  on  our  trail  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough 
to  see  to  follow  it.  But  two  hours  of  travel  had  given 
us  a  good  start,  and,  when  we  had  crossed  a  small 
valley  and  were  on  the  last  slope  leading  to  the  Rio 
Puerco,  we  could  see  the  Indians,  by  looking  through 
Bennett's  glass,  on  the  slope  between  us  and  the  slope 
where  we  had  camped. 

We  reached  the  Rio  Puerco  that  evening,  where  we 
found  a  party  of  prospectors,  who  were  returning  to 
Prescott  from  an  unprofitable  expedition  in  search  for 
rich  mining  ground.  They  gave  us  all  we  could  eat  and 
shared  blankets  with  us,  so  that  we  got  a  more  com- 
fortable night's  rest  than  we  had  enjoyed  for  some  time. 

Perhaps  the  reader  \vould  like  to  know  the  names  of 
some  of  our  comrades  who  were  killed.  I  took  down 
all  their  names  and  the  places  from  which  they  came 
as  far  as  I  could  remember  of  their  having  told  me. 
As  everything  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians 
in  the  San  Re  Nado  Pass,  I  am  unable  to  tell  where 
they  were  all  from.  William  Fleming,  aged  near  forty, 
of  Philadelphia  ;  Chris.  Olten,  of  Indiana  ;  George  Good- 
hall,  of  Indiana ;  D.  P.  Wheeler,  of  either  Dayton  or 
Springfield,  Ohio ;  George  Brady,  of  St.  Louis  ;  Wil- 
liam Carlton,  and  one  more,  who  went  by  the  name  of 


132  HOW  I  KNOW. 

"Arkansaw,"  because  he  had  formerly  been  a  resident 
of  Arkansas.  His  name  I  never  knew.  The  four  who 
escaped  with  me  were  :  A.  Bennett,  of  Kentucky,  still 
alive ;  George  Bales,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  now  living  in 
Nevada ;  J.  T.  Taylor,  now  somewhere  in  California  or 
Nevada,  and  John  Middleton,  now  in  Leadville,  Colo- 
rado. From  Prescott,  Bennett  and  I  went  to  Pioche, 
Nevada. 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  133 


CHAPTER  X. 

THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS. 

IT  was  my  fortune  to  spend  three 'months  in  the 
mountains  along  the  Colorado  Canon.  The  Grand 
Canon  extends  from  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado 
River  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yampa.  The  Colo- 
rado River  runs  through  canons  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Dirty  Devil,  in  Utah,  to  the  Rio  Virgin,  in  Nevada.  I 
am  unable  to  say  how  far  this  is  in  miles;  but  I  know 
that  from  the  mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Virgin  is  twenty  days'  hard  riding  by  the 
shortest  trail  you  can  go. 

The  main  Colorado  Canon,  including  all  its  curves, 
is  over  one  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  the  river 
runs  through  canons  for  over  four  hundred  miles.  The 
Colorado  is  the  mighty  river  of  the  West.  The  Green, 
Grand,  Cottonwood,  Convulsion,  Little  Colorado,  San 
Juan,  Uncompahgre,  and  a  large  number  of  other 
streams,  all  pour  into  it  the  water  from  the  melting 
snows  in  the  mountains,  and  form  a  mighty  river. 

I  joined  a  company  of  forty-one  young  fellows  (Mr. 
Bennett  was  one  of  the  company),  who  started  out 
from  Nevada — most  of  the  company  from  Pioche.  The 
principal  object  of  our  expedition  was  to  prospect  the 
Buckskin  Mountains.  Most  all  kinds  of  stories  were 
afloat  in  reference  to  this  locality,  among  the  rest,  that 


THE  GRAND  CANON  OF  THE  COLORADO 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  135 

this  was  where  an  expedition  from  California  under 
Col.  Baker  had  gone  and  found  such  vast  leads  of  rich 
deposits  of  gold.  But  the  Indians  had  killed  all  the 
party  except  two,  Baker  himself  being  among  the 
missing.  The  two  that  did  escape  did  so  merely  by 
accidental  circumstances. 

One  fine  morning  our  company  all  met  together  at 
a  point  between  the  Dry  Valley  Mill  and  Bullion  City, 
and  started  off  to  try  the  chances  of  newer  fields  in  the 
Buckskin  country.  Some  of  us  were  mounted  on  good 
animals;  others  on  hungry,  lean  looking  mustangs  and 
mules.  With  our  traps  and  accoutrements,  our  pack 
and  riding  animals,  we  formed  an  ideal  group  of  front- 
iersmen off  for  an  expedition,  or,  a  scout  after  Indians. 

I  had  heard  much  of  the  place  we  desired  to  reach 
and  of  the  kind  of  country  we  would  have  to  travel 
through;  but  I  afterwards  found  that  I  had  gained  my 
information  from  men  who  knew  nothing  about  the 
matter.  There  are  always  a  great  many  ready  to  tell 
you  all  about  the  Buckskin  Mountains  and  the  Grand 
Canon  of  the  Colorado.  But  nine  out  of  ten  of  them 
never  saw  that  portion  of  the  country. 

As  for  a  road,  there  is  none.  The  only  way  to  go 
is  to  follow  trails,  sometimes  of  Indians,  at  other  times 
of  some  wild  animals ;  and  sometimes  you  must  leave 
the  trails  entirely  and  go  across  the  mountains,  which 
are  so  abrupt,  barren,  and  desolate,  that  you  wish 
greatly  for  the  land  of  civilization  once  more,  long  be- 
fore the  day  passes  into  night.  After  we  arrived  on 
the  Muddy  River,  in  Utah,  we  then  changed  our  time  of 


136  1IO  W  I  KNO  W. 

traveling  from  day  to  night,  as  we  thought  that  plan 
would  be  the  safest. 

Sometimes  we  were  in  narrow  valleys,  at  other  times 
on  top  of  mountain  ranges,  traveling  across  them  or 
lengthwise  as  the  case  might  be,  always  keeping  to  one 
course  as  nearly  as  we  possibly  could.  In  one  place 
the  top  of  the  range  was  a  vast  sheet  of  lava.  We 
traveled  over  it  for  two  days  without  wood  or  water, 
for  neither  was  to  be  found.  After  we  had  gone  two 
days  without  water,  and  were  almost  perishing  from 
thirst,  Bennett,  four  others  and  myself  started  in  search 
of  water,  taking  all  the  canteens  with  us.  We  must 
have  gone  fifteen  miles  when  we  found  a  small  supply 
in  a  hole  in  the  rocks.  There  was  no  way  of  knowing 
how  long  it  had  been  there.  It  was  alive  with  little 
wigglers.  We  took  a  pocket-handkerchief  and  strained 
the  water  through  it  from  one  tin-cup  into  another, 
thus  procuring  enough  to  fill  our  canteens;  but  at  the 
same  time  throwing  a  larger  bulk  from  the  handker- 
chief than  we  were  putting  into  the  canteens.  I  have 
tasted  a  great  deal  of  bad  water ;  but  that  supply  was 
the  worst  I  ever  met  with.  When  we  arrived  back  at 
camp  again,  we  found  there  had  been  a  mutiny,  and 
that  fifteen  of  our  party  had  gone  off  in  another  direc- 
tion. They  had  taken,  it  was  claimed,  more  than  their 
share  of  the  supplies,  and  some  were  growling  and 
swearing  about  it.  Others  were  in  favor  of  following 
them  up  and  reclaiming  a  portion  of  the  supplies. 
Everything  was  suggested,  but  nothing  was  done. 

As  for  Bennett  and  myself,  we  had  made  up  our 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS. 


137 


minds  to  go  to  the  Colorado  Canon  at  least,  or  to  lose 

our    scalps    on    the 

way.      So    I    spoke 

to  the  men,  telling 

them  that  none 'of 

us    had    ever    been 

there;   that  we  had 

talked  the    whole 

matter  over  before 

we  left  Pioche;  and 

at   that    time  we 

were    all    of   one 

opinion.     We  were 

at   the    start   well 

aware  that  we  must 

stand   together    for 

the  sake  of  our  mu- 

tual  protection,  or 

else  not  go  at  all.    I 

acknowledged    that 

we  were  then  in  the 

worst    country    I 

had  ever  seen ;  but 

I    had    not    known 

that  it  was  so  bad 

before  I  started.  But 

I  supposed  that  we 

were  now  over  the 

worst  of  the   road, 

and    I    t  h  O  U  g  h  t    it  THE  SEARCH  FOR  WATER. 


138  HOW  I  KNOW. 

likely  that  we  would  soon  arrive  where  there  was 
plenty  of  water  and  game. 

But  some  of  them  seemed  very  much  down-hearted, 
depressed,  and  to  be  feeling  very  sore  about  something, 
I  knew  not  what.  They  were  growling  and  complain- 
ing, and  one  of  them  came  to  me,  and  said,  if  I  would 
give  him  rations  to  last  him  on  his  way  back,  he  would 
leave  us.  Then  I  got  mad  and  told  the  party,  that  if 
there  were  any  who  felt  timorous  or  afraid,  or  did  not 
want  to  go,  they  were  at  perfect  liberty  to  take  provis- 
ions, and  leave  us  in  peace.  But,  if  they  would  leave 
a  proper  share  of  the  provisions  for  Bennett  and  four 
more  of  us,  we  were  going  through,  if  such  a  thing 
were  possible.  Some  said  they  would  see  us  out ; 
others  could  not  make  up  their  minds  as  to  what  they 
wanted  to  do  for  a  long  time;  but  finally  all  came 
around  and  were  willing  to  go  on. 

.Everything  went  on  all  right  until  we  had  our  ani- 
mals saddled  ready  to  start,  when  another  mutiny  broke 
out,  which  lasted  for  over  an  hour.  I  then  gathered 
together  from  the  supplies  what  was  my  own,  and  took 
care  to  take  my  full  share.  Bennett  did  likewise. 
Some  still  said  they  would  see  us  through.  "No,"  I 
said,  "I* do  not  wish  any  man  or  set  of  men  to  see  me 
out  of  danger  that  I  voluntarily  run  into.  You  all 
know  that  I  did  not  raise  this  company.  Hess  and 
others  were  the  leaders  in  raising  the  company,  and 
now,  if  they  want  to  throw  the  responsibility  on  a  few 
who  only  volunteered  to  go,  I  for  one  will  not  travel 
with  them.  But  I  will  go  through  alone,  if  no  one 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  139 

wishes  voluntarily  to  go  with  me."  Bennett  and  I  had 
plainly  seen  that  they  were  endeavoring  to  throw  the 
whole  of  the  responsibility  upon  our  shoulders,  when 
we  really  had  nothing  to  do  with  organizing  the  expe- 
dition at  all,  having  merely  volunteered  to  accompany 
it  as  members. 

That  evening  eleven  of  us  started  on,  leaving  the 
balance  to  go  where  they  pleased,  so  they  did  not 
travel  with  us.  It  was  threatened  before  we  left  that 
we  would  be  fired  upon.  But  we  had  had  our  say, 
and  at  the  time  I  fully  expected  that  we  would  have 
a  fuss,  which  would  have  been  very  bad  for  all  of  us- 
The  other  party  outnumbered  us,  but  were  divided 
among  themselves.  But  we  were  as  determined  as 
ever  men  were  not  to  let  them  get  the  drop  on  us,  and 
if  a  muss  did  break  out,  to  put  it  through  in  the  short- 
est possible  way. 

We  got  started  off,  however,  without  any  one  being 
hurt,  and  a  merry  little  crowd  we  were.  There  was 
quite  a  difference  between  our  little  party  of  eleven,  as 
we  jogged  along  side  by  side,  and  the  big,  noisy,  bois- 
terous crowd  that  started  out  together  at  first.  The 
flying  moments  passed  unheeded  by  as  we  rode  along, 
engaged  in  mutual  exchange  of  thought  and  feeling. 
And  we  were  just  flattering  ourselves  over  having  got- 
ten rid  of  the  worst  part  of  our  crowd  so  easily,  when 
five  of  those  whom  we  had  left  behind  overtook  us. 
They  reported  that  the  others  had  gone  back.  But  that 
they  would  go  with  us  as  long  as  a  button  remained  to 
their  coats. 


140  HOW  I  KNOW. 

That  day  we  camped  in  a  secluded  spot  at  the  foot 
of  one  of  the  peaks,  where  we  found  a  little  water  for 
our  horses,  which  did  them  a  great  deal  of  good,  for 
they  had  been  without  water  for  three  days. 

I  was  on  guard  that  morning,  in  the  first  watch.  I 
concluded  to  go  to  the  top  of  the  peak  and  make  some 
general  observations  of  the  country.  Armed  with  my 
rifle,  revolver,  knife,  and  Bennett's  spy-glass,  I  started 
to  make  a  circuit  of  the  mountain  for  some  distance, 
so  as  to  find  some  place  to  climb  up.  I  had  not  gone 
more  than  a  couple  of  hundred  yards,  scarcely  out  of 
sight  of  camp,  when  I  heard  a  noise,  as  of  a  stone 
rolling  down  the  mountain.  I  stopped,  and  looking  in 
the  direction  of  the  noise  I  saw  a  small  stone,  as  large 
as  my  fist,  rolling  down  the  slope.  Looking  up  in  the 
direction  from  which  the  rock  had  come,  to  ascertain 
what  had  started  it,  I  beheld,  not  more  than  twenty 
yards  to  my  right,  and  a  little  above  me,  a  monstrous 
grizzly  bear,  in  the  act  of  raising  himself  in  a  sitting 
posture.  I  suppose  that  he  took  this  attitude  in  order 
to  see,  think,  and  determine  whether  it  was  best  to 
hold  his  position  or  make  a  retreat.  The  old  fellow 
did  not  look  so  wonderfully  savage,  for  he  wore  more 
of  a  smiling  look  about  his  eyes  than  that  of  the  most 
ferocious  of  wild  beasts.  He  sat  perfectly  upright, 
and  not  a  muscle  or  a  limb  did  he  move.  His  fore- 
arms were  drawn  up  upon  his  breast,  and  I  could  see 
his  paws,  with  their  tremendous  claws  drooping  in  front. 
I  could  see  but  little  to  encourage  me  in  my  suddenly 
perilous  situation,  when  I  came  to  fully  appreciate  my 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS. 


141 


danger.     He  sat  there  in  front  of  me  looking  entirely 
calm  and  collected,  free  from  all  show  of  excitement. 


CORNERED    BY    GRIZZLIES. 


and  as  firm  as  a  rock.  I  well  knew  it  would  need 
only  one  blow  of  his  paw  to  knock  me  into  eternity; 
for  the  strength  of  the  grizzly  is  greater  than  that  of 


142  HOW  I  KNOW. 

any  other  animal  of  similar  size  in  existence.  He  is 
king  of  the  brute  kingdom.  The  hunting  of  the  grizzly 
bear  averages  more ;  disasters  than  the  hunting  of  any 
other  animal.  Hunting  some  of  the  smaller  and  more 
inoffensive  animals  is  followed  with  enjoyment,  and 
affords  recreation  and  amusement  to  thousands,  who 
are,  in  pursuing  these  animals,  in  no  danger  of  being 
killed,  crippled,  or  maimed  for  life.  But  there  are  very 
few  who  desire  to  hunt  for  the  grizzly  bear,  and  though 
often  seen  by  travelers  and  scouts  when  passing  through 
the  hills,  canons,  and  forests  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
he  is  generally  left  to  pursue  his  journey  in  peace. 

Oftentimes  the  scout  runs  up  against  one  as  I  did 
this  one,  and  has  no  chance  to  retreat,  for  a  grizzly 
can  out-run  any  man.  On  a  mountain  side  they  can 
out-run  a  horse.  A  horse  might  out-run  a  grizzly 
in  the  valley,  or  in  rolling  country;  but  there  there  is 
no  grizzly.  He  is  an  inhabitant  of  rougher  regions. 
In  the  rough  country  of  California  there  are  hundreds 
of  them.  They  subsist  principally  on  acorns,  berries, 
and  toolie  roots,  of  which  they  are  very  fond.  These 
toolies  grow  around  lakes,  ponds,  marshes,  and  lagoons, 
sometimes  higher  than  a  man's  head,  with  roots  in  the 
muck  and  soil  similar  in  looks,  except  smaller  and 
thicker,  to  the  swamp  dock  of  the  eastern  ponds.  Here 
the  grizzly  bear  and  wild  hog  feed  and  keep  them- 
selves fat.  The  bear  stays  in  the  mountains  all  day, 
and  comes  down  to  feed  at  night.  After  feeding  awhile 
on  roots  the  grizzly  generally  goes  out  to  try  to  finish 
his  feast  with  a  young  colt,  or  a  calf,  pigs,  geese,  or 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  143 

anything  he  can  kill   and   carry   away.     I   have   never 
known  them  to  molest  grown  cattle  or  horses. 

Often  you  will  see  them  chained  to  posts  as  pets. 
These  have  generally  been  caught  while  young.  I  have 
seen  a  great  many  pet  grizzlies;  but  I  never  saw  but 
few  that  I  could  handle.  They  are  most  always  cross 
to  strangers.  You  cannot  strike  one,  for  he  will  sit 
upright,  and  either  take  your  stick  away  from  you  or 
knock  it  out  of  your  hand.  When  you  make  your  pass 
at  him  he  will  not  show  the  least  fear,  but  rather  the 
more  determination  to  thwart  your  every  move.  If 
you  shoot  at  and  only  wound  him,  then  the  grizzly  is 
a  most  dangerous  animal.  At  such  a  time  the  most 
perfect  nerve  is  required.  He  will  then  charge  on  his 
nearest  foe,  mad  with  pain,  and  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary strength.  I  have  seen  large,  rough-barked  trees 
where  they  had  torn  the  bark  away,  clean  into  the  wood, 
from  a  space  ten  inches  square  at  one  single  stroke  of 
the  paw,  and  this,  too,  in  their  last  dying  struggles. 
Even  after  the  animal  is  fatally  wounded  he  often  has 
strength  enough  to  make  an  attack.  Then  all  depends 
upon  courage  and  coolness,  and  upon  rapid  and  careful 
shooting.  The  great  danger,  the  renown  incident  to  the 
capture  of  so  ferocious,  and,  when  wounded,  so  blood- 
thirsty a  beast,  the  nerve  required,  all  combine  to  lend 
an  extraordinary  zest  to  hunting  or  attacking  the  grizzly 
bear.  When  a  tender-foot  first  comes  West  he  yearns 
to  encounter  a  grizzly.  And  generally  when  he  does 
get  sight  of  one  his  courage  fails  him,  and  Mr.  Bruin 
is  allowed  to  depart  in  peace. 


144  HOW  I  KNOW. 

When,  on  this  morning,  I  beheld  this  grizzly  so  near 
at  hand,  sitting  upon  his  haunches  and  looking  at  me, 
tl,  in  a  moment,  took  in  the  dreadful  and  dangerous 
'character  of  the  predicament  I  was  placed  in.  I  was 
sure  to  be  overtaken  if  I  should  run.  My  only  safety, 
that  I  could  see,  was  in  my  rifle.  Then  I  wondered  if 
I  was  cool  enough  to  take  a  steady  aim.  I  thought  I 
was;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I  knew  if  I  failed  there 
would  not  be  time  enough  for  me  to  load  and  shoot 
my  rifle  the  second  time,  since  he  was  above  me  and 
would  immediately  charge  down  upon  me  at  such  a 
rate  that  I  would  no  doubt  get  very  nervous,  and  even 
did  I  again  shoot,  it  would  be  with  a  poor  aim,  and  I 
would  only  enrage  him  the  more,  and  no  doubt  be  torn 
to  pieces  by  his  powerful  claws,  before  assistance  could 
arrive  from  camp.  I  looked  at  him  but  a  moment, 
and  in  that  moment  a  profound  sense  of  my  great 
clanger  came  over  me.  But  I  hastily  put  my  fears 
aside,  and,  dropping  the  glass  lightly  at  my  feet,  I 
brought  my  rifle  down  and  fired.  I  used  an  ounce 
explosive  ball.  My  shot  was  well  aimed,  and  struck 
him  under  the  fore  leg.  As  he  sat  a  little  quartering 
to  me,  the  ball  ranged  towards  his  back-bone,  com- 
pletely smashing  it.  When  the  gun  cracked  I  was 
certain  my  ball  had  taken  mortal  effect.  But  to  make 
assurance  doubly  sure,  I  gave  him  another  shot.  Then 
I  heard  the  boys  coming  from  camp,  on  double-quick, 
as  I  could  tell  by  the  way  the  stones  and  gravel  were 
thundering  down  the  mountain  side.  But,  by  the  time 
they  got  to  me,  the  fun  was  over,  and  Mr.  Bruin  was 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  145 

my  meat.  He  was  very  large.  We  estimated  that  he 
would  weigh  nearly  or  quite  eight  hundred  pounds. 

After  the  usual  complimentary  remarks  of  the  occa- 
sion had  been  passed,  we  left  our  king  of  the  forest, 
the  boys  to  return  to  camp,  and  I  to  proceed  to  the 
summit  of  the  peak.  After  I  had  gained  the  summit, 
which  was  through  no  little  exertion,  it  being  very  diffi- 
cult and  hard  to  climb,  I  could  see  a  great  distance 
on  all  sides  of  me.  The  bright  sun  was  shining  on 
the  many  different  colored  peaks.  The  calm  solitude 
of  the  place  caused  strange  feelings,  indeed,  in  my 
mind.  I  sat  on  that  peak  for  six  long  hours,  viewing 
the  many  different  and  curious  formations  of  nature.  I 
noted  the  many  different  colors  of  t%he  rocks,  as  the  sun 
would  reflect  upon  their  surface.  I  could  see  wild  an- 
imals of  various  kinds  in  the  distance,  such  as  coyotes, 
deer  in  herds,  and  others  which  I  thought  were  ante- 
lopes. And  once  I  saw  a  band  of  Indians;  they  were 
a  long  distance  off;  but  I  could  make  out  that  they 
were  not  hunting,  but  traveling.  Perhaps  they  were 
going  to  new  hunting  and  fishing  grounds.  I  could  see 
in  what  direction  they  were  going,  and  that  was  all- 
important  to  me.  I  could  not  tell  how  many  there 
were;  I  could  see  a  large  party. 

I  was  not  sorry  when  I  was  relieved  from  the  guard, 
for  the  warm  sunshine  had  made  me  sleepy.  I  did  not 
speak  to  any  one  of  having  seen  the  Indians,  for  I 
considered  that  they  would  be  none  the  better  off  for 
knowing  it;  and  there  was  no  need  to  alarm  the  lads 
any  more  than  was  necessary. 


10 


146  HOW  I  KNOW. 

I  lay  down  as  soon  as  I  arrived  at  camp,  and  was 
quickly  lost  in  sleep — dreaming  of  the  girl  in  a  far-off, 
friendly  land;  or  the  one  whom  I  had  never  trusted 
enough  in  my  own  native  home.  At  such  times  the 
light  of  the  world,  for  the  dreamer,  dies  out,  and  only 
disappointments  crown  his  efforts  until  at  last  he  loses 
all  hope.  Alone  in  a  strange  place,  without  one  of  his 
kindred  near  to  know  his  wants,  or  to  learn  even  one 
of  the  many  different  conjectures  that  pass  through  the 
brain.  But,  hold  on  here!  I  find  I  arn  leaving  my 
subject  entirely.  Should  I  keep  on  in  this  strain  some 
kind-hearted  people  will  think  I  am  in  love,  or  in  as 
bad  a  condition  as  if  I  were. 

Well,  when  I  awoke,  the  sunlight  had  become  as 
dim  as  twilight,  struggling  in  only  here  and  there, 
through  the  branches  of  the  small  trees.  When  we 
had  finished  supper,  which  was  then  ready,  and  were 
sitting  around  in  a  circle,  lounging  against  the  trunks 
of  the  quaking  asps,  which  grew  in  great  numbers 
there,  we  then  gave  the  subject  of  our  journey  a  grave 
consideration.  Each  held  between  his  lips  a  wooden 
pipe.  The  smoke  that  issued  from  them  went  rising 
above  our  heads,  forming  many-shaped  curls  to  be  lost 
sight  of  in  the  low  boughs  above.  Our  plans  had  been 
formed,  and  the  swift  darkness  of  night  was  falling 
around  us;  already  the  gulches,  hollows,  and  ravines 
were  shrouded  in  impenetrable  gloom,  and  the  black 
shadows  were  creeping  up  the  mountain  sides  when 
we  emerged  from  our  place  of  repose,  to  saddle  and 
pack,  and  jog  along. 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  147 

I  was  riding  in  the  lead,  with  no  trail,  no  road, 
nothing  that  we  could  see  to  follow.  So  we  took  a 
star  to  guide  us  and  on  we  went,  over  gulches  and 
gullies,  up  mountains  and  down  again,  to  then  climb 
others,  perhaps  worse  than  those  already  passed  over. 
We  had  traveled  nearly  all  night  in  this  way,  when^ 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  came  to  a  place, 
that  baffled  us  for  a  long  time.  It  was  one  of  those 
places,  which  are  to  be  found  in  many  parts  of  the 
West,  where  the  water  has  left  standing  perpendicular 
precipices  of  rock  to  fence  in  the  little  valleys  along 
the  river  bottom.  Dismounting,  I  was  leading  my 
horse  along  the  edge  of  the  precipice  that  I  might  find 
some  place  to  get  down  to  the  valley  below.  I  had 
gone  in  this  way  as  much  as  a  mile,  trying  to  find  a 
trail  leading  down,  when  I  found  one  as  I  thought.  So, 
calling  one  of  the  boys  to  hold  my  horse,  I  started 
down  the  trail  to  see  where  it  went,  and  to  discover  if 
it  were  possible  for  a  horse  to  follow  it  down.  I 
could  see  that  the  bluff  was  very  steep,  and  if  I  fell  I 
would  fall  a  long  way  without  any  chance  of  preserva- 
tion. I  wished  for  daylight,  for  a  balloon,  or  some  fly- 
ing machine — anything  to  help  .me  down  to  the  valley 
below.  I  knew  there  was  water  there,  for  I  could  hear 
it.  So,  continuing  on  in  the  little  bit  of  a  trail,  that 
one  could  scarcely  walk  in  for  the  unevenness  of  its 
bottom,  I  had  made  good  progress,  and  was,  I  thought, 
half  way  down,  when  suddenly,  just  a  few  feet  in  front 
of  me,  and  a  little  below  on  the  trail,  a  wild,  terrible 
howl  or  scream  rang  out  through  the  darkness.  I 


US  HOW  I  KNOW. 

knew  at  once  that  I  had  a  panther  to  contend  with, 
and  that  is  an  animal  to  be  terribly  dreaded,  for  it  is 
^arge,  quick,  muscular,  and  powerful.  I  brought  my 
rifle  to  position  as  quickly  as  ever  gun  was  brought  to 
readiness,  I  imagine.  Scarcely  had  I  done  this,  when 
the  animal  gave  vent  to  another  howl,  more  terrible 
than  the  first. 

What  should  I  do?  I  could  not  run  had  I  wished 
to.  I  was  then  standing  on  a  little,  narrow  trail  of 
rocks,  with  a  mighty  chasm  below  me,  and  a  precipice 
of  rocks  above  me.  I  doubled  myself  down  as  close  to 
the  trail  as  I  could,  and  at  the  same  time  drew  my 
knife  for  further  defense.  When  I  got  close  down  to 
the  trail  I  could  see  the  panther's  eyes  glistening  like 
two  coals  of  fire.  I  had  hesitated  for  a  little  spell.  I 
was  afraid  to  shoot,  for  in  the  darkness  a  shot  is  un- 
certain; and,  if  the  animal  should  spring  upon  me 
there,  I  would  certainly  fall  off.  I  thought  of  jumping 
off;  but  I  did  not  know  the  distance  down.  Then 
again  I  knew,  if  I  did  anything  I  must  do  it  at  once. 
So  I  threw  my  gun  forward  and  pulled,  aiming  at  his 
glaring  eyes  as  near  as  I  could.  But  my  gun  failed  to 
go  for  the  first  time  since  I  had  owned  it.  I  drew  my 
pistol,  which  was  a  Smith  &  Wesson  forty-four.  While 
I  was  doing  that  the  beast  again  gave  utterance  to  a 
howl  that  pierced  me  through,  and  made  me  feel  that 
my  fate  was  sealed.  I  thought  that  he  was  stealthily 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  me.  His  eyes  were  glis- 
tening with  penetrating  brightness.  I  could  feel  my- 
self shaking  from  head  to  foot.  I  was  terribly  fright- 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  149 

ened.  I  had  been  on  many  battle-fields,  where  men 
were  falling  all  around  me,  and  the  groans  of  the 
wounded  rent  the  air;  I  had  heard  them  plead  in  vain 
for  assistance  that  was  beyond  the  power  of  man  to 
give;  but  never  before  in  my  life  did  I  feel  as  I  then 
felt.  I  knew  my  last  chance  depended  upon  my  pistol. 
I  could  see  the  long,  lithe  form  settling  for  the  fatal 
leap.  Then,  holding  my  pistol  out,  resting  the  barrel 
and  cylinder  along  my  finger,  I  aimed  at  his  eyes,  and 
pulled  the  trigger.  He  bounded  into  the  air,  and  fell 
downward  into  the  darkness  below.  I  heard  him  when 
he  struck;  it  sounded  a  long  way  down. 

I  could  hear  one  of  my  companions  calling  to  me 
from  above  to  know  if  I  was  hurt.  Answering  him 
that  I  was  not,  I  went  on  down  the  trail,  and  found  it 
about  the  same  thing  all  the  way.  So  I  hallooed  for 
my  companions  to  come  down  carefully.  When  they 
had  all  got  down,  we  pitched  camp  for  the  day.  We 
had  not  long  to  wait  for  the  morning,  as  day  was  fast 
coming  out  of  the  sombre  darkness.  After  daylight 
we  found  that  we  were  in  a  beautiful  little  park. 

I  was  interested  to  know  whether  I  had  killed  my 
animal  or  not.  I  did  not  know  whether  I  had  hit  him, 
or  only  frightened  him,  and  made  him  jump.  Three 
of  us  went  to  see  if  we  could  find  any  trace  of  him. 
We  had  not  long  to  look,  for  we  saw  him  lying  on  the 
slide  rock,  where  he  had  stopped  rolling  a  good  bit  be- 
fore we  reached  the  place.  He  was  a  nice,  sleek,  large- 
looking  animal,  over  seven  feet  long  from  the  point  of 
the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail.  He  had  fallen  over 


150 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


sixty  feet  from  where  he  was  when  I  shot  him.     I  of- 

ten think 
and  won- 
der what 
would  my 
fate  have 
been  had 
he  made 
the  spring 
upon  me. 
I  f  o  u  n  d 
that  the 
reason  my 
gun  would 
not  go  off 
was  be- 
cause I 
had  got  a 
very  small 
twig  f  a  s  t 
in  front  of 
the  ham- 
m  er  ,  so 
the  needle 
could  not 
strike  the 
cap. 

While  at 
this    place 


IN    THE    COLORADO    CANONS. 


tllC 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  151 

caught  plenty  of  nice  trout.  Some  of  them  would 
weigh  a  pound  or  more.  We  were  all  delighted  with 
the  place.  After  a  time  I  lay  down  to  sleep,  but  only 
fell  into  a  disturbed  slumber,  which  was  worse  than 
wakefulness,  for  it  was  haunted  by  such  terrible  dreams. 
I  was  dreaming  of  wild  animals  howling,  and  roaming 
about  all  night,  or  else  of  the  savage  Indians,  and  that 
one  of  these  was  in  the  act  of  lifting  what  little  hair 
there  was  left  from  the  top  of  my  head.  I  finally 
awoke,  screaming  for  the  boys  to  run  for  their  lives,  as 
the  Indians  had  me  and  would  soon  have  the  balance 
of  the  party.  To  sleep  again  was  impossible.  I  was 
soon  up,  therefore,  to  take  a  view  of  the  country. 

The  air  had  been  fresh  and  nice  before  sunrise;  but 
now  the  sun  was  sending  its  scorching  rays  upon  and 
all  around  us  in  that  little  valley.  The  sky  was  in- 
tensely blue,  and  without  the  smallest  cloud  to  break 
its  monotony.  I  spent  the  afternoon  in  visiting  some 
of  the  different  peaks,  and  examining  the  general  char- 
acter and  formation  of  the  ledges  that  crossed  the 
gulches,  and  projected  from  the  sides  and  summits  of 
the  main  ranges.  When  the  afternoon  had  been  spent 
in  sight-seeing,  and  in  visiting  the  many  little  caves, 
and  examining  the  numerous  particles  of  quartz  that  we 
discovered,  we  then  took  our  gold  pans,  and  tried  the 
creek.  We  raised  the  color;  but  we  could  do  that  any 
place  in  the  mountains.  Take  a  pan  of  dirt  from  the 
top  of  a  range,  and  wash  it  out,  and  you  see  a  little 
shiner.  The  mountains,  however,  afforded  us  much 
study  here,  for  they  were  filled  with  various  classes  of 


152  HOW  I  KNOW. 

rock,  such  as  the  prospector  delights  to  find,  and  exhibit 
in  his  collections. 

We  again  start  on  our  way.  The  sun  has  set  in  a 
tremulous  golden  glory,  and  the  twilight  has  already 
deepened  into  night.  The  red  and  white  sands,  the 
silent  castles  that  were  by  daylight  seen  rearing  their 
jagged  crests  far  above  the  surrounding  country,  have 
now  all  disappeared  in  darkness.  We  traveled  all  night 
without  any  special  adventure. 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS*  153 


CHAPTER  XL 

THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS. 

[CONTINUED.] 

THE  morning  found  us  on  the  verge  of  a  mighty 
precipice.  Before  us  opened  a  mighty  chasm 
in  the  earth,  in  some  places  over  a  mile  in  depth,  and 
appearing  as  if  it  were  closing  together  at  the  top. 
You  think  you  can  throw  a  stone  across  to  the  other 
side  very  easily.  But  in  this  you  are  mistaken.  Try 
it.  Ah!  see,  the  stone  drops  downward  out  in  space 
far  short  of  the  other  side.  As  you  watch  it  on  its 
steady  journey  downward,  a  sensation  creeps  through 
you  that  you  too  are  falling  from  these  giddy  heights 
above  to  the  mighty  depths  below;  thence  to  be  borne 
away  by  the  mighty  river  that  goes  rushing  onward 
beneath  you;  boiling,  splashing,  and  frothing,  white 
with  madness.  Here  you  see  it  pouring  over  a  per- 
pendicular precipice  over  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  over 
hundreds  of  others  not  so  high.  See  it  strike  and 
divide  against  that  large  bowlder.  Thousands  of  rocks 
can  be  seen,  projecting  their  dark-colored  heads,  as 
you  look  up  and  down  the  river,  above  the  white, 
splashing  spray. 

"  Now,"  says  some  reader,  "where  are  you,  and  what 
are  you  describing?"      I  am  sitting  upon  the  mighty 


154  HOW  I  KNOW. 

precipice,  overlooking  the  grand  Colorado  River,  upon 
the  brink  of  one  of  the  longest  and  'deepest  cuts  in  solid 
rocks  that  Nature  has  ever  made.  Moreover,  I  am 
now  seeing  what  few  white  men  ever  have  seen.  There 
are  a  great  many  men  who  claim  to  have  seen  the 
Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado,  when  really  but  few  have 
ever  seen  it. 

The  river  runs  through  a  rough,  broken,  alkaline 
range.  The  first  morning  we  arrived  at  this  canon, 
there  being  neither  wood  nor  water,  we  moved  back  a 
short  distance,  where  there  was  some  alkaline  water, 
standing  in  holes  in  the  rocks.  We  had  no  wood,  and 
grass  was  scarce.  Neither  our  horses  nor  ourselves 
fared  the  best.  Some  of  us  followed  the  edge  of  the 
canon  down  the  river,  while  others  went  up  stream 
(leaving  some  to  take  care  of  the  camp),  to  see  what 
the  chances  were  for  crossing.  The  Buckskin  Mount- 
ains proper  are  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Colorado 
River,  though  I  have  seen  them  represented  on  some 
maps  as  located  on  the  western  side.  The  Indians  call 
the  four  peaks  that  stand  up  so  prominent,  and  which 
are  seen  for  a  long  distance,  lying  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Colorado,  between  Colorough  Lake  and  the 
Grand  Canon,  and  forty  miles  north  of  the  Yampa,  the 
Buckskin  Mountains. 

We  wanted  to  get  across  the  river,  and  were  una- 
ble to  cross  there.  At  that  time  none  of  the  party 
knew  at  what  part  of  the  cafion  we  were.  We  tossed 
up  a  four  penny  bit  to  determine  whether  we  should 
go  up  the  river  or  down.  Mr.  S.  Jones  tossed  up  the 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  155 

piece,  which  came  down  heads  up,  deciding  that  we 
should  travel  up  stream  until  we  could  find  a  crossing. 
We  thought  that  a  rough  journey  was  before  us,  which- 
ever way  we  might  go.  We  struck  up  the  trail  that 
had  been  marked  out  by  the  ponies  of  the  savages  in 
their  wanderings  up  and  down  the  canon.  We  felt 
sure  the  trail  would  lead  us  aright  through  the,  to  us, 
unknown  regions. 

We  were  very  fortunate,  for  we  met  with  no  Indians 
on  our  way  up  the  canon.  All  the  difficulty  we  had  to 
contend  with  was  the  lack  of  water  and  the  roughness 
of  the  mountains.  It  was  so  rough  that  we  now  changed 
our  time  of  traveling  from  night  back  to  day  again. 
At  times  we  were  close  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice; 
at  other  times  we  were  entirely  out  of  sound  of  the 
river,  in  some  deep  gorge  or  ravine,  or  behind  some 
mountain.  At  times  we  were  traveling  directly  from 
the  river,  and  then  climbing  and  sweating  and  working 
our  way  back  again.  Sometimes  when  we  looked 
down  into  the  canon,  it  was  impossible  to  see  down 
to  the  water.  The  vapor  or  mist  that  was  rising  from 
the  water  looked  like  a  cloud  or  thick  smoke  ascending. 
Again,  when  we  could  see  down,  we  could  see  in  the 
walls  on  either  side  caves,  rooms,  and  openings  that  the 
water  had  formed  in  its  downward  cutting.  In  some 
places  the  canon  walls  are  much  farther  apart  at  the 
bottom  than  at  the  top.  While  at  other  places  the  top 
of  the  canon  will  be  more  than  a  mile  in  width;  but 
the  walls  are  so  steep  and  rough  that  nothing  can  get 
to  the  water  below  without  falling  down,  down  for 


156  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

hundreds  of  feet.     For  fifty  miles  we  got  down  to  the 
water's  edge  but  once,  and  that  was  by  following  down 


SUNSET    IN    THE    COLORADO    CANONS. 

a  dry  gulch  that  started  from  the  mountains  a  long  way 
back  from  the  river.  While  traveling  down  this  gulch 
one  has  a  feeling  not  easily  described.  You  are  going 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  157 

down  all  the  time,  either  jumping  down  from  perpen- 
dicular declivities  in  the  rock,  or  groping  your  way 
over  and  down  from  large  bowlders.  This  gulch  is 
very  narrow,  not  more  than  seven  feet  wide  at  the 
bottom.  It  is  hemmed  in  with  perpendicular  walls  in 
places.  At  others  the  walls  project  over  until  they  meet 
or  lap  at  the  top.  As  you  approach  the  river  the  higher 
these  hard  rocky  walls  get  to  be.  You  look  up  from 
your  low  position,  down  deep  between  these  mighty 
walls,  and  in  many  places  see  them  closed  above  your 
head.  Again  there  are  places  "where  you  are  able  to 
see  the  top.  That  is  where  the  top  of  the  canon  has 
some  little  width. 

It  was  a  bright,  sunny  day  when  we  went  down. 
Ever  and  anon  I  would  try  to  see  the  top.  I  well 
remember  how  I  felt,  but  can  find  no  words  to  express 
what  I  would  like  to  say.  Imagine  yourself  for  a  mo- 
ment way  down,  down,  down  for  thousands  of  feet  in  a 
deep,  narrow  gulch,  walled  in  with  rock,  which  time 
and  water  have  worn  smooth  as  glass.  Then  you  will 
have  the  idea,  if  not  the  realizing  effect.  As  you 
move  on  down  towards  the  river,  the  roaring  of  the 
water  gets  louder  and  still  louder  as  it  goes  beating, 
knocking,  splashing,  bounding,  and  rebounding  on  its 
course,  for  here  the  canon  is  very  deep  and  narrow; 
and  consequently  the  mighty  force  of  the  river  must 
exhaust  itself  upon  the  confining  walls.  The  noise  in 
this  narrow  confinement  became  so  great  that  I  did 
not  hear  the  loudest  hallooing  that  was,  as  I  was  after- 
wards told,  shouted  in  my  very  ear. 


158  HOW  I  KNOW. 

The  Colorado  River  does  not  appear  to  be  very  wide 
here.  But  take  into  consideration  where  you  are;  see 
the  mighty,  dark-colored  walls  all  around  you,  and  far 
above,  covered  here  and  there  with  moss;  see  the 
mighty  river  rushing  past  you  with  steep  descent,  and 
solid  rock  for  bottom.  I  cannot  say  that  it  was  beauti- 
ful to  me;  but  it  was  marvelous. 

We  continued  on  our  journey  up  the  river  until  we 
arrived  above  where  it  enters  the  canon,  when  we  came 
to  a  small  tract  of  bottom  land  lying  nearly  as  low  as 
the  river.  This  valley  is  a  little  more  than  one  mile 
in  length  and  is  half  as  wide.  Then  the  river  is  again 
confined  in  a  narrow  canon. 

In  this  valley  we  found  the  ruins  of  buildings,  with 
portions  of  the  walls  yet  standing.  In  several  places 
the  walls  are  yet  eight  feet  in  height.  As  I  mentioned, 
when  speaking  of  the  ruins  in  Arizona,  and  the  Casa 
Grandas,  in  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  pieces  of  plate  and 
other  articles  of  earthenware  are  found  here  also,  scat- 
tered among  the  ruins.  A  large  spring  flows  out  high  up 
in  the  rocks.  The  water  comes  tearing  down  through 
the  little  channel  it  has  cut  and  then  goes  rippling 
through  what  has  at  one  time  been  an  inhabited  town. 

This  little  secluded  place  affords  an  abundance  of 
grass,  which  was  thickly  set  and  as  high  as  our  ponies' 
knees.  The  country  all  around  is  made  up  of  high, 
mountainous  lands,  with  little  or  no  vegetation.  In  this 
little  valley  the  river  widens  out.  At  the  upper  end  the 
water  runs  in  a  smooth  sheet,  denoting  depth.  At  the 
lower  end,  or  near  it,  the  fall  is  greater,  and  the  water 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  159 

goes  at  a  much  more  rapid  rate.  This  we  found  was 
our  only  chance  to  cross  the  river.  By  entering  the 
water  well  up  towards  the  upper  end  of  the  valley, 
our  horses  could  swim  over  very  easily,  without  drift- 
ing into  the  rapids  below.  If  once  swept  into  these 
rapids  there  is  no  chance  for  man  or  rider  to  be  saved. 
We  met  with  splendid  success  in  crossing,  and  lost 
nothing  of  any  value.  We  got  wet,  of  course,  but  soon 
dried  ourselves. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  the  country  is  still 
broken  with  ravines,  gulches,  and  canons.  The  mount- 
ains are  fully  as  high  as  on  the  western  side;  but  hardly 
as  barren  and  sterile  as  the  range  we  had  come  up. 
There  are  some  small  streams  and  one  good  large 
creek  between  where  we  crossed  and  the  mouth  of 
the  Little  Colorado.  At  the  last  mentioned  place  we 
camped  for  two  days  and  prospected  for  gold.  The 
place  looked  more  favorable  for  deposits  than  any  we 
had  seen  since  leaving  Nevada. 

We  found  some  very  fine  specimens  of  float  quartz, 
and  also  some  veins  of  quartz,  but  generally  barren; 
that  is,  quartz  that  carries  no  metals  of  value.  While 
here  we  were  blessed  with  plenty  of  venison  and  fish. 
With  a  single  hook  one  man  caught,  in  an  hour,  more 
fish  than,  together  with  some  venison,  we  ate  during 
our  stay.  The  next  day  we  crossed  and  camped  on 
the  Little  Colorado,  which  is  at  this  place  a  beautiful 
stream;  but  having  a  valley  of  no  width. 

Here  a  party  of  Apache  hunters  came  and  camped 
with  us  for  the  night.  They  were  very  talkative;  more  so 


160 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


than  common. 


Of  inquisitiveness  they  undoubtedly  had 
more    than   their 
share.     They   soon 
warmed  up  toward 
us  and  then  wanted 
to   swap    guns,   as 
we  had  arms  supe- 
rior to  theirs.     We 
might  have   done 
well  in  the  way  of 
a  trade,   to   have 
swapped  our  rifles 
for  their  guns  and 
horses;  but  we  did 
not  care  to  do  this. 
We   divided  our 
"baca"  with  them, 
and  the  next  morn- 
ing they  moved  up 
the  Little  Colorado; 
but  not  before  they 
had  warned   us  of 
"  heap  bad  Injun  at 
Buckskin  Mount- 
ains.     Ma-be-so 
see  'em  to-day  heap 
bad    Injun.     We 
heap   good    Injun. 
We  no  care    for 
white    man  catch 


PROSPECTING   IN   THE    COLORADO   CANONS. 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CAiVONS.  161 

'em  fish — not  too  many — eat  'em.  Kill  'em  deer — eat 
'em.  Heap  white  men  shoot  'em  Buckskin,  poom- 
poom — no  eat  'em.  Kots  bueno  (no  good).  Ma-be-so 
(holding  up  one  finger)  sleep  see  you.  Ma-be-so  (hold- 
ing up  the  fist  with  fingers  closed)  see  you  Buckskin 
Mountain.  You  siguea?"  "Yes,"  1  say.  "Me  heap 
good  Injun.  Buckskin  Mountain  no  good  Injun."  After 
warning  us  in  this  way,  and  passing  the  friendly  salu- 
tation, they  went  their  way,  leaving  us  on  our  way  to 
the  Buckskin  Mountains. 

This  country  we  prospected  as  well  as  we  could 
under  the  circumstances.  We  found  several  gold  and 
silver-bearing  quartz  leads.  How  valuable  they  may 
hereafter  prove  to  be,  I  do  not  know.  We  found  some 
gravel  claims  that  I  always  will  think,  if  properly 
worked  and  under  the  right  kind  of  management,  will 
pay.  I  have  taken  as  many  as  twenty  pans  of  dirt  and 
washed  it  out  and  I  never  got  less  than  three  cents  to 
the  pan.  In  one  pan  I  got  one  nugget  that  weighed 
seven  dollars  and  sixty-four  cents,  at  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Utah.  I  sold  it  for  that  to  Mr.  Warren  Hus- 
sey,  president  of  the  bank.  He  said  it  was  of  a  good 
quality  of  gold. 

I  have  often  been  asked  why  I  did  not  stay  there. 
I  will  here  say  that  we  were  not  prepared  to  stay  long 
at  this  time.  We  had  nothing  to  work  with;  no  saws  of 
any  kind,  and  we  could  not  saw  lumber  without  a  whip 
saw.  Neither  did  we  have  provisions  enough  to  last 
us  long.  Our  company  had  only  sixteen  men  left.  The 
others,  you  remember,  had  taken  a  skip  and  left  us. 

ii 


162  HOW  I  KNOW. 

I  tried  to  get  there  once  afterwards,  of  which  I  will 
speak  further  on.  We  reached  the  Buckskin  Mount- 
ains without  any  resistance  from  the  Indians.  A  few 
jof  them  were  friendly,  and  a  great  many  otherwise. 
As  we  kept  a  guard  out  night  and  day,  they  offered  no 
violence  more  than  some  abusive  epithets  which  were 
not  resented  on  our  part.  We  prospected  the  ranges 
all  through  that  section  of  country.  We  found  gold, 
silver,  iron,  lead,  copper,  bismuth,  and  cinnabar  in  vari- 
ous places.  But  whether  in  paying  quantities  or  not,  I 
do  not  pretend  to  say.  We  also  found  bench  and  bar 
claims;  but  nothing  to  justify  any  very  heavy  outlay  or 
expense. 

We  then  pushed  on  to  Callville,  below  the  Yampa, 
the  highest  point  of  navigation  on  the  Colorado  River. 
From  here  some  of  the  party  went  to  Pioche.  Four 
of  us  went  to  Salt  Lake  City.  We  traveled  over  an 
abundance  of  alkaline  and  grease-wood  land,  where 
nothing  else  was  to  be  seen;  not  even  a  jack-rabbit, 
an  animal  of  which  I  have  already  spoken. 

We  called  at  a  Mormon  house  occasionally,  and 
bought  milk  or  butter,  which  they  were  very  ready  to 
sell  for  cash,  and  at  a  much  more  reasonable  figure 
than  we  could  buy  at  in  any  of  the  other  Territories. 
I  may  mention,  in  passing,  that  at  Callville  we  were 
ferried  over  the  river  by  John  D.  Lee,  who  has  since 
been  shot  on  the  scene  of  the  Mountain  Meadow  Mas- 
sacre of  the  Kansas  emigrants,  which  he  superintended 
in  person.  It  is  said  that  he  took  an  active  part,  per- 
sonally, in  the  slaying  of  the  unfortunate  children  that 


THROUGH  THE  COLORADO  CANONS.  163 

belonged  to  the  train.  I  am  told  that,  in  one  instance, 
two  sisters,  small  children,  were  begging  for  mercy  that 
they  might  be  spared;  and  some  of  the  blood-atoning 
followers  of  Lee  and  other  Mormon  saints  were  about 
to  spare  them;  but  Lee  dashed  in,  revolver  in  hand, 
and  shot  them  both,  with  the  remark,  "They  are  too 
old  to  live."  I  have  been  told  often  by  men,  some  of 


EXECUTION    OF  JOHN    D.    LEE. 

whom  now  live  in  the  Territory,  and  do  know  whereof 
they  speak,  that  until  only  a  few  years  before  Brigham 
Young's  death,  he  rode  in  the  carriage  that  was  captured 
by  his  murdering  this  train  of  emigrants.  He  was  not 
there  in  person,  of  course;  neither  does  a  President 
need  go  in  person  to  quell  a  rebellion;  but  yet  they  can 


164  HOW  I  KNOW. 

act  as  instigators  or  accessories  to  the  act  of  having  it 
done.  Other  things,  such  as  clothing,  wagons,  guns, 
etc.,  went  to  the  highest  bidders  in  Cedar,  Parowan, 
Beaver,  and  other  settlements.  Such  live-stock  as  the 
Church  could  handle  was  considered  as  Church  prop- 
erty, and  found  its  way,  a  lot  of  it,  to  the  Church 
Island,  where  no  one  ever  went  except  those  intrusted 
with  the  care  of  that  kind  of  property.  Church  Island 
is  an  island  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  where  a  good  por- 
tion of  the  stock  of  the  Co-operative  Company  is  kept. 


MONTANA  AND  IDAHO.  165 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MONTANA  AND  IDAHO. 

MONTANA  and  Idaho,  like  California,  were  settled 
originally  by  gold-hunters.  At  first  they  neither 
knew  nor  cared  whether  the  Territory  possessed  any 
agricultural  advantages  or  not;  but  when  the  easily 
skimmed  cream  of  the  placers  had  been  gathered,  and 
more  difficult  and  permanent  quartz  mining  succeeded, 
the  pressing  needs  of  a  settled  population  turned  the 
attention  of  a  large  number  of  the  people  to  farming. 
The  country  was  then  found  to  be  as  rich  in  agricul- 
tural as  in  mineral  resources. 

Montana  is  celebrated  for  its  many  large  productive 
valleys.  The  Gallatin  Valley  is  situated  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  Territory,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
finest  grain-producing  valleys  in  the  West.  Some  very 
nice  little  orchards  have  been  set  out.  Whether  these 
will  prove  productive  or  not,  I  am  unable  to  say.  In 
Jefferson,  Madison,  Bowlder,  Prickly  Pear,  Bitter  Root, 
Marias,  Milk  River,  and  a  number  of  other  valleys  they 
raise  magnificent  crops  of  wheat.  Although  Idaho  is 
south  of  Montana,  the  valleys  are  as  cold  as  those  of 
Montana.  They  produce  no  better  grain,  neither  any 
greater  variety. 

Estimating  from  what  I  could  learn,  about  one-half 
of  the  population  of  these  two  Territories  is  engaged 


166  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  other  half,  in  mining, 
stock  raising,  and  other  branches  of  industry.  The 
roads  are  generally  lined  with  freight  and  immigrant 
wagons.  The  larger  part  of  the  best  land  has  been 
taken  up.  There  are  a  great  many  quartz  mills.  Some 
are  idle;  but  many  are  doing  a  thriving  business. 

Before  the  Pacific  Railroad  was  built,  all  goods  for 
Montana  were  sent  up  the  Missouri  River — in  the 
Spring — to  Fort  Benton,  which  is  at  the  head  of  navi- 
gation. The  distance  up  is  thirty-one  hundred  miles, 
along  a  most  tortuous  course,  requiring  very  careful 
piloting.  Steamers  would  consume  from  three  to  four 
months  in  making  the  trip.  Their  progress  depended 
greatly  upon  the  nature  of  the  current,  and  the  depth 
of  water  on  the  almost  innumerable  shoals.  This  diffi- 
cult and  exasperating  method  of  transportation  had 
nothing  to  recommend  it  except  that  it  was  the  best 
then  within  reach.  Very  little  freight  is  now  sent  by 
the  river.  The  great  bulk  of  it  goes  over  the  Union 
and  Central  Pacific  Railroads. 

At  present  all  goods  for  Montana,  whether  from  the 
East  or  West,  go  to  Corinne,  Utah,  on  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Railroad.  It  is  thirty-one  miles  west  of  Ogden. 
Ogden  is  the  junction  of  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific 
Railroads.  Corinne  is  four  hundred  and  seventy  miles 
south  of  Helena,  the  chief  town  of  Montana.  The  two 
places  are  connected  by  a  wagon  road,  over  which 
there  is  a  line  of  fast  stages,  fast  and  slow  freight 
wagons,  and  innumerable  mule  teams.  Since  the  great 
Washoe  teaming  business  has  been  discontinued,  there 


MONTANA  AND  IDAHO.  167 

is  no  other  Territory  that  gives  employment  to  as  many 
freight  teams  as  Montana. 

The  largest  freight  warehouses  in  the  West  have  been 
built  at  Corinne  for  the  storage  of  merchandise  for  Mon- 
tana. They  are  always  well-filled  with  goods.  Dozens 
of  teams  are  constantly  to  be  seen  at  the  depot,  either 
loading  up  with  freight,  or  waiting  their  turn  to  be 
loaded.  The  freighters  generally  drive  mules  and 
horses.  During  a  brief  portion  of  the  year,  in  the 
summer  months,  cattle  may  be  used  with  advantage. 

From  Corinne  to  Helena  is  a  hazardous  road.  A 
good  portion  of  the  year  there  is  snow  on  many  parts 
of  it.  When  the  snow  melts,  streams  of  water  con- 
tinually run  across  or  along  the  road,  making  it  very 
difficult  for  heavily-loaded  teams  to  move  along.  They 
are  either  mired  down  in  the  mud,  or  fording  ponds 
and  streams  of  water  one-half  the  time.  The  other 
half  is  spent  in  winding  around  and  up  over  ridges  and 
mountains,  turning  sharp  curves,  climbing  steep  mount- 
ain grades,  and  skirting  along  the  edge  of  lofty  preci- 
pices. Sometimes  wagons,  horses,  goods,  and  every 
thing  go  rolling  over  the  precipice,  and  pitching  down 
the  steep  mountain  side,  to  land  at  the  bottom  a  total 
wreck.  Goods  are  scattered  the  whole  distance  down; 
the  wagon  is  smashed  to  fragments,  and  the  animals 
killed  or  hopelessly  crippled.  Hundreds  of  skeletons 
of  animals  line  the  road  on  either  side  the  whole  dis- 
tance. 

In  the  summer  there  is  plenty  of  grass  along  the 
route,  so  that  animals  have  good  grazing.  But  during 


168  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

the  greater  part  of  the  year  they  must  be  full  fed  with 
grain,  such  as  chop  feed,  rye,  oats,  barley,  peas,  and 
corn.  If  none  of  the  above  can  be  had,  then  wheat  is 
used,  which  is  an  excellent  feed  for  horses  or  mules. 
Hay  commands  a  good  price  at  all  times,  sometimes  as 
much  as  eight  cents  a  pound.  Before  the  Pacific  Rail- 
road was  built,  at  times  everything  sold  at  enormous 
prices  in  some  of  the  mining  camps  where  provisions 
were  scarce.  Eggs  have  sold  for  fifty  cents  a  piece. 
Flour  seventy-five  cents  a  pound,  and  at  one  time  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  pound.  Tea,  coffee,  and  a  great 
many  other  such  things  were  not  to  be  had  at  all. 
Tobacco  retailed  for  two  and  four  bits  a  chew,  a  bit 
being  twelve  and  one-half  cents. 

Californians,  are  called  in  Montana  "  Self-risers,"  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  "Pilgrims"  or  "Tender- 
foots," who  footed  it  into  Montana  from  the  south-west- 
ern States.  The  "Self-risers"  largely  monopolize  the 
mercantile  and  mining  interests,  while  the  "  Pilgrims " 
generally  guide  the  plow  and  handle  the  hoe.  A  great 
many  people  who  have  gone  to  Montana  have  done 
extremely  well. 


LAKES  AND  SPRINGS  OF  THE  FAR  WEST.         169 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LAKES  AND  SPRINGS  OF  THE  FAR  WEST. 

THIS  chapter  I  will  devote  exclusively  to  the  wa- 
ters of  the  West.  There  are  in  the  West  many 
kinds  of  water,  with  different  qualities  and  properties. 
There  are  waters  of  many  colors.  Water,  we  all 
know,  is  found  in  Nature  in  three  forms,  vaporous, 
fluid,  and  solid.  Science  teaches  us  that  water  is  a 
compound  of  one  part  of  hydrogen,  and  eight  parts  of 
oxygen.  Water  is  never  pure,  but  always  impregnated. 
Take  the  waters  of  the  wells,  springs,  rivers,  etc.,  east 
of  the  Missouri — they  are  mostly  fresh.  Take  them  in 
the  mountains  west — they  are  saline  (salty),  alkaline 
(some  mineral  being  held  in  solution),  and  often  caloric 
(that  is  warm  or  hot). 

The  Great  Salt  Lake  is  situated  in  Utah  Territory 
in  the  great  basin.  The  water  of  this  lake  is  saline, 
with  one  part  out  of  four  salt.  There  is  no  living  thing 
in  this  lake.  Bear  River,  coming  down  out  of  Idaho, 
empties  in  on  the  north.  This  is,  commonly  speaking, 
fresh  water,  where  splendid  fish  are  caught  in  large 
quantities.  There  is  no  outlet  to  Salt  Lake  that  I 
know  anything  about,  and  I  have  been  told  there  is 
none.  It  has  been  stated  that  there  is  an  underground 
outlet,  and  that  the  water  at  a  certain  place  out  in  the 
lake  is  continually  in  a  whirl,  caused  by  the  suction 


170 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


from    below.      This,    I    think,    is    a    mistake.      I    was 
often   on  the   lake   in    1868  and    1869.     I  have  talked 


GREAT    SALT    LAKE. 


with  different  individuals  well  acquainted  with  the  lake, 
all  of  whom  deny  the  assertion. 


LAKES  AND  SPRINGS  OF  THE  FAR   WEST.          171 

The  water  of  Great  Salt  Lake  is  rising  all  the  time. 
When  the  Mormons  first  settled  there,  all  the  available 
fertile  land  around  the  lake  was  fenced  to  the  water's 
edge  with  post  fences.  Owing  to  the  presence  of  large 
quantities  of  salt  in  the  soil,  the  posts  have  been  pre- 
served from  rotting.  And  now  the  fences  are  still 
standing,  but  are  under  water,  in  many  places  entirely 
out  of  sight.  Whole  fields  that  once  were  cultivated 
are  now  under  water. 

People  often  go  into  Salt  Lake  bathing.  If  they 
have  sores,  cuts,  or  broken  flesh,  their  sufferings  are 
severe.  When  they  come  out  there  is  a  saline  coating 
all  over  the  body,  so  that  they  have  to  bathe  in  other 
water  to  wash  the  salt  off.  The  lake  spreads  over  a 
vast  scope  of  land,  and  is  in  some  places  deep. 

Lake  Tahoe,  or  Lake  Bigler  as  some  call  it,  is  in 
Nevada.  The  former  is  an  Indian  name;  the  latter  is 
the  name  of  the  first  white  man  of  any  note  in  that  part 
of  the  now  State.  This  lake  is  called  fresh  water. 
There  are  hot  springs  boiling  up  out  in  the  lake.  At 
Hot  Spring  City  they  began  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake, 
and  built  a  wall  around  one  of  these  springs,  and  con- 
tinued the  wall  until  above  the  surface  of  the  lake. 
This  wall  is  solid,  and  keeps  the  water  separated.  The 
lake  water  is  cold  around  the  outer  side  of  the  wall, 
while  the  water  on  the  inner  side  is  hot. 

Fresh  water  is  much  lighter  than  salt  water.  The 
water  of  Lake  Tahoe  is  undoubtedly  the  hardest  to 
swim  in  I  ever  tried.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  swim  in 
it  even  for  a  short  distance.  It  would  be  a  great  place  for 


172  HOW i  KNOW. 

Captain  Paul  Boyton  to  experiment  in.  Another  feature 
of  the  Tahoe  water  is,  that  if  a  person  is  unfortunate 
enough  to  be  drowned  in  it,  as  has  been  the  case  of 
several  persons,  his  body  is  never  recovered.  Bodies 
have  never  been  known  to  rise  to  the  surface,  nor 
have  they  been  found  drifted  to  shore.  This  water  is 
very  transparent,  and  is  said  to  be  the  clearest  water 
in  the  world.  You  can  see  down  in  it  to  the  great 
depth  of  over  one  hundred  feet.  It  is  so  transparent 
that  it  does  not  appear  to  be  over  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
deep.  Near  the  shore,  while  rowing  in  a  boat,  you  feel 
sure  you  could  wade  it,  when  at  the  same  time  there 
will  be  twenty  feet  of  water  beneath  you.  Large 
trout  are  caught  in  Lake  Tahoe,  weighing  often  over 
twenty  pounds. 

Crystal  Lake,  west  of  Tahoe  and  distant  two  miles, 
is  a  small  lake  of  like  properties  to  Tahoe.  It  is  about 
one  mile  long  and  half  as  wide.  It  is  very  deep. 
Some  claim  that  it  is  deeper  than  Tahoe.  Large 
numbers  of  fish  are  caught  in  this  lake.  Schools  of 
them  can  be  seen  sporting  and  swimming  down  deep 
in  the  water. 

The  river  water  in  the  Winter,  in  many  instances, 
tastes  as  if  free  from  minerals.  But  as  soon  as  Win- 
ter is  over,  and  the  water  gets  warmer,  then  it  tastes 
strongly  of  substances  held  in  solution. 

Water  is  found  in  the  West  at  every  temperature, 
from  the  freezing  to  the  boiling  point.  It  appears  in 
various  mineralized  forms;  sweet,  sour,  sulphurous, 
siliceous,  chalybeate,  and  other  forms. 


LAKES  AND  SPRINGS  OF  THE  FAR   WEST. 


173 


Throughout  the  West  hot  springs  are  numerous. 
Some  of  these  springs  are  of  great  depth,  while  others 
seem  to  be  entirely  on  the  surface.  All  around  a 
hot  spring  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  heated,  and  is 
generally  mound-shaped,  sometimes  several  feet  higher 
than  the 
surround- 
ing sur- 
face earth. 
Sometimes 
the  spring 
runs  out 
f  r  o  m  the 
side  of  a 
mountain. 
The  earth 
below  is 
all  crusted 
over  with 
sediment- 
rock  vary- 
ingincolor. 
This  crust 
of  rock  is 
formed  out 

Of  the  Sub-  VERNAL    FALLS,   CALIFORNIA. 

stances  the  water  contains.  Often  it  partakes  of  the 
nature  of  burnt  brick,  or  clay.  In  some  places  it  is 
compact,  and  in  others  it  is  not,  but  is  in  globular  and 
sponge-like  form.  Sometimes  it  is  of  a  white  color. 


HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

When  mounds  are  formed  as  at  the  hot  springs  in 
Ouray  Park,  Colorado,  these  mounds  slope  off  grad- 
ually, until  the  surface  earth  is  reached.  The  Pecoshia 
Springs  are  similar  to  these,  but  larger  and  grander. 
These  springs  are  boiling  hot.  The  water  will  boil 
and  bubble  up  continually  from  the  bottom  to  the  sur- 
face, like  water  boiling  in  a  vessel  on  a  fire.  The  wa- 
ter in  the  Pecoshia  Springs  is  nice,  clear,  and  as  pretty 
as  any  water  I  ever  saw.  Looking  at  the  water,  you 
would  not  suspect  it  to  be  so  hot.  A  large  stream  of 
hot  water  Hows  continually  from  the  spring,  and  retains 
its  heat  for  a  good  distance  before  it  finally  cools  off. 
Hundreds  of  these  hot  springs  are  found  throughout 
the  West,  in  Colorado,  Utah,  California,  Arizona,  and 
the  States  of  Mexico  on  the  north. 

The  largest  warm  spring  I  ever  saw  was  close  to 
Ojo  Caliente,  in  Mexico.  It  is  over  forty  feet  wide  and 
very  deep.  It  had  no  outlet  that  was  visible;  neither 
did  the  water  reach  the  surface,  as  is  generally  the 
case  where  springs  are  perennial,  and  constantly  dis- 
charging their  volumes  of  water.  A  great  many  of 
these  springs  show  no  diminuition  in  the  seasons  of 
longest  drought.  Fresh-water  springs  are  intermittent, 
depending  entirely  upon  the  prevailing  character  of  the 
seasons.  They  gush  forth  after  heavy  rains,  and  flow 
freely  for  a  time,  and  then  fail  to  flow  in  continued 
dry  weather. 

Now  allow  me  to  lead  you  to  the  Yellowstone, 
to  behold  some  of  the  natural  wonders  of  that  place. 
Here,  far  up  the  valley,  we  come  to  an  ebb  or  tide 


LAKES  AND  SPRINGS  OF  THE  FAR   WEST. 


175 


spring  that  flows  at  intervals  or  seasons.  Part  of  the 
time  the  water 
gushes  from  one 
side  of  the  knoll 
formed  around  it, 
and  runs  off  in  a 
little  rill;  then,  ceas- 
ing to  flow  on  that  I 
side,  it  bulges  forth 
on  the  other.  It 
never,  so  far  as  I 
was  able  to  dis- 
cover, runs  from  both 
sides'  at  the  same 
time.  I  was  told,  by 
an  old  gentleman 
who  had  long  lived 
with  the  Indians 
there,  that  this  spring 
would  run  for  five 
or  six  months  from 
one  side,  and  then 
would  s  h  i  f t  to  the 
other.  In  very  dry 
seasons  it  would  dry 
up.  This  is  called 
a  tide  spring,  and 
is  singular  in  its 
way  of  running,  and 

itS     like     is     Seldom          »  GIANTESS,"  BIG  GEYSER  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE. 


176  HOW  I  KNOW. 

seen  elsewhere.  Why  the  water  changes  its  course  in 
this  way  I  am  unable  to  say.  Some  say  this  is  caused 
by  the  action  of  the  tide.  It  may  be,  but  I  do  not 
think  so.  I  do  not  think  the  tide  has  anything  to  do 
with  it,  for  this  reason.  This  place  is  shut  off  from 
the  ocean  by  two  distinct  ranges  of  mountains  on  the 
west,  and  a  large  extent  of  mountainous  lands  on  the 
north  and  south.  We  are  over  seven  thousand  feet 
above  sea  level.  Now  if  this  spring  is  governed  by 
the  action  of  the  tide,  why  does  it  not  flow  continually 
from  the  same  side  of  the  butte.  But  it  does  not,  as  I 
have  been  assured  by  the  Indians  themselves.  I  leave 
this,  as  I  came  to  it,  in  my  own  mind — nonplussed. 

At  some  distance  from  this,  lower  down,  we  have  a 
mud  spring.  This  is  not  a  spring  that  runs  mud, 
neither  is  it,  as  I  could  see,  a  spring  that  runs  water, 
although  there  is  water  in  it,  and  that  to  an  enormous 
depth.  It  has  a  natural  wall  formed  of  sediment,  com- 
pact and  solid  as  though  hewn  from  rock  itself.  It 
was  thirty  feet  to  the  water  when  I  saw  it,  and  I 
could  not  touch  the  bottom  with  two  lariat  ropes  tied 
together,  making  nearly  one  hundred  feet  of  line.  This 
spring  is  in  a  little  valley  to  itself,  and  is  not  only  curi- 
ous, but  marvelous.  Seven  miles  below  this  mud  spring 
is  what  is  known  as  the  Steamboat  Spring.  It  works 
upon  the  principle  of  an  exhaust  to  a  steam  engine. 
The  water  recedes  from  the  surface  of  the  earth  around 
the  spring,  and  then  comes  rushing  up  clear  out  and 
above  the  surrounding  surface;  then  it  recedes  again  to 
gather  more  force  and  come  again.  The  time  between 


LAKES  AND  SPRINGS  OF  THE  FAR   WEST.  177 

each  two  discharges  is  as  much  as  four  minutes.  The 
temperature  of  this  spring  is  one  hundred  and  forty 
degrees.  There  is  a  vast  amount  of  sulphur  in  it. 
The  air  for  a  long  distance  around  is  full  of  the  odor 
of  sulphur. 

In  the  valleys  there  are  numerous  alkaline  streams, 
in  some  of  which  the  water  is  so  strong  that  nothing 
can  drink  it.  They  often  dry  up,  when  the  alkali  is 
left  deposited  along  their  beds,  sometimes  for  two  or 
three  inches  in  depth. 

We  are  unable  to  trace  the  intimate  connection  of 
hot  springs,  and  the  discharging  of  hot  water,  steam 
and  gases.  Yet  it  is  impossible  to  doubt  the  direct 
relationship  of  these  different  phenomena  and  their  mu- 
tual dependence  upon  one  grand  cause,  namely:  A 
high  temperature  prevailing  in  the  earth  at  an  unknown 
depth  below  the  surface.  No  doubt  this  is  the  original 
cause  of  earthquakes  that  burst  forth  with  deep  jarr- 
ing noises  from  below,  without  warning,  and  open  up 
fissures,  and  rend'  the  rocks  apart.  Evidences  of  this 
is  seen  in  volcanoes,  as  on  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where 
there  is  a  large  opening  all  ablaze,  like  a  lake  on  fire. 
Around  these  springs  the  earth  seems  to  be  only  a 
crust  hollowed  out  underneath.  So  that  one  is  treading 
as  it  were  upon  an  arched  bridge  over  the  cauldron 
below. 


178  HOW  I  KNOW. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LA  PAZ. 

I  WILL  devote  this  chapter  to  giving  a  bit  of  my 
experience  while  connected  with  the  surveying 
party  in  Arizona.  We  had  halted  at  Fort  McDowell. 
I  had  expected  to  meet  some  friends  from  California  at 
this  place.  When  we  reached  the  Fort,  my  friends  were 
not  there;  but  I  found  a  letter  requesting  me  to  come  on 
immediately  and  meet  them  in  La  Paz.  La  Paz  is  a  small 
town  in  Yuma  County.  I  therefore  bustled  around  and 
was  soon  ready,  and  waiting  for  the  "Jerkey"  to  take 
me  through.  I  was  jolted,  bounced  and  bumped  about 
in  the  stage  all  day,  all  night,  and  next  day,  without 
sleep  or  comfort. 

Let  my  readers  for  a  moment  imagine  themselves 
in  some  cramped-up,  little,  crowded-to-death  corner 
of  one  of  these  overloaded  stage-coaches;  the  seats 
are  all  filled  with  passengers;  the  space  between  the 
seats  is  filled  with  trunks,  valises,  blankets,  bedding  of 
all  kinds,  new  blankets  and  old  blankets,  half-worn 
blankets,  torn  blankets,  and  bedding  of  the  same  de- 
scription; prospecting  outfits  of  picks,  shovels,  pans 
and  provisions;  arms  and  ammunition,  enough  for  an 
arsenal.  The  boots  are  full  of  mail  sacks,  packages 
and  papers.  The  passengers  are  of  all  kinds,  grades 
and  nationalities,  and  crowd  full  every  inch  of  available 


LA    PAZ.  179 

room  inside  and  on  top  of  the  coach.  Now  you  are 
to  be  whirled  along  at  a  most  reckless  rate  over  a 
rough  mountain  road.  At  one  moment,  passengers 
and  traps  are  all  piled  up  in  confusion  in  one  end  of 
the  stage,  to  be  suddenly  thrown  the  next  moment  to 
the  other,  there  to  be  jostled,  now  to  one  side,  then 
with  renewed  force  to  the  other;  and  thus  you  go  on 
bounding  and  bouncing  over  rocks,  through  ruts, 
hollows,  holes,  wash-outs  and  everything  else  that  is 
met  in  the  road.  This  description  gives  but  a  faint  idea 
of  stage  riding.  However,  stage-coach  passengers, 
especially  in  the  Territories,  are  not  supposed  to  have 
any  feelings. 

The  expressman  knows  by  name  every  one  he 
meets  along  his  route.  He  is  continually  tossing 
letters,  newspapers,  periodicals  and  bundles  from  the 
top  of  the  stage.  His  legs  often  appear  in  frightful 
proximity  to  the  rapidly  revolving  wheels,  for  he  is 
climbing  on  and  off  the  coach  while  it  is  going  at  a 
sweeping  rate.  In  gallantry,  energy  and  knowledge  he 
is  generally  superior  to  all  the  other  passengers.  He  will 
answer  the  questions  of  a  whole  group  of  persons  and 
attend  to  some  matter  of  business,  all  at  the  same  time. 

When  I  alighted  from  the  coach  at  La  Paz,  I  was 
like  one  paralyzed  in  all  his  joints  and  limbs.  I  could 
scarcely  stand,  much  less  walk. 

I  looked  around  at  the  adobe  walls  and  the  deserted 
houses  Avith  walls,  windows,  roofs,  floors,  everything  from 
garret  to  cellar,  from  pavement  to  rear  fence,  all  going 
to  decay.  I  thought  the  Mexicans  here  much  worse 


180  HOW  I  KNOW. 

off  than  those  in  other  localities.  Very  rough-looking 
customers  were  to  be  seen  in  front  of  saloons,  groceries 
and  in  groups  on  corners.  I  could  not  but  think  that 
a  great  many  of  them  must  be  common  vagrants,  with 
no  means  of  support.  The  word  ragged  conveys  but 
a  feeble  idea  of  their  miserable  dress.  These  poor 
wretches  all  carried  six-shooters,  and  knives  sticking 
out  boldly  and  defiantly  from  their  persons.  Verily, 
they  were  hard-looking  specimens  of  the  human  race. 
I  gathered  my  things  from  among  the  bundles  that 
had  been  tossed  pell-mell  in  a  heap  together  from  the 
stage,  and  went  to  the  hotel.  The  only  one  then  in 
the  town  was  kept  by  an  American.  I  stood  gloomily 
clutching  my  things,  waiting  until  my  host  should  give 
me  checks  for  them.  Some  how  or  other,  he  had  got 
his  checks  mismatched,  and  I  thought  he  never  would 
find  two  of  a  corresponding  number.  He  did  finally, 
however,  fish  up  the  checks  from  some  quarter  of  the 
house,  or  out  of  some  of  his  pockets.  Giving  me  one, 
he  tied  the  remaining  tag  to  my  things.  Being  relieved 
of  my  baggage,  I  turned  and  took  a  seat.  The  land- 
lord then  began  to  ply  me  with  questions.  "  Do  you 
desire  a  room  for  the  night?"  "Where  did  you  get  on 
the  stage?"  "Do  you  want  supper?"  "How  are  the 
roads?"  "Any  road-agents  at  work  down  about  the 
Fort?"  and  so  on,  until  I  wondered  if  he  would  ever 
come  to  the  end.  He  then  offered  me  the  drinks, 
which  I  politely  declined,  telling  him  I  had  never 
drank  any  in  my  life,  and  could  very  well  get  along 
without  it  now.  "Well,  then,  do  you  ever  smoke?" 


LA    PAZ.  181 

"Yes,  sir."  So  I  accepted  a  cigar  that  was  certainly 
made  from  some  weed  worse  if  possible,  than  tobacco, 
and  that  would  not  draw  any  more  than  a  piece  of 
iron -wood.  I  soon  tired  of  such  enjoyment  as  an 
effort  to  smoke  this  afforded.  I  threw  the  cigar  aside, 
and  went  out  and  took  a  wash.  After  this,  I  felt  in  a 
better  humor  in  mind,  and  considerably  revived  other- 
wise. 

After  I  had  taken  a  survey  of  the  people,  and 
the  things  inside  of  the  house,  I  was  not  very  favora- 
bly impressed  with  my  stopping-place.  Everything 
and  everybody  seemed  to  be  suffering  from  a  severe 
attack  of  hard  times.  The  windows  and  doors  were  all 
cut  and  scratched;  various  calculations  and  reckonings 
had  been  scrawled  upon  the  door  and  window  casings 
and  walls,  and  names  had  been  written  everywhere, 
until  there  was  no  available  room  for  more.  Every 
thing  was  disagreeable  and  uninviting.  I  felt  doomed 
to  dreariness.  Everything  to  intoxicate  and  degrade 
was  here.  There  was  the  "valley  tan"  flavor  of  uneasi- 
ness hovering  over  the  whole  place.  Here  wrere  men 
who  long  had  outraged  every  law  of  Nature,  gathered 
in  groups  around  circular  tables,  gambling.  Others 
went  staggering  around  the  room,  or  were  lying  pros- 
trate under  the  influence  of  liquor. 

I  went  to  the  door,  and  looked  out  on  the  street. 
The  sight  was  appalling.  Here  were  men  swearing  in 
a  jargon  of  Spanish  and  broken  English,  with  now  and 
then  a  plain-spoken  English  phrase,  for  there  were  some 
Americans  in  town.  Some  were  betting  on  horse- 


182  HOW  I  KNOW. 

races;  some  on  cock-fights,  bull-fights,  foot-racing, 
jumping,  wrestling,  and  future  chances  in  general. 
Some  were  stripping  for  a  fight;  others  fighting,  chums 
taking  sides  either  actively  or  with  a  great  deal  of  harm- 
less bluster.  Some  had  pistols  drawn,  and  the  whole 
town  seemed  to  be  in  a  riot.  The  tumult  and  racket 
sometimes  lulled  for  a  moment,  only  to  break  out  again 
afresh  in  new  groups  quickly  formed  elsewhere.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  boarding  in  this  place  would  only 
be  from  the  lack  of  a  better  place  to  go  to. 

While  I  was  standing,  contemplating  the  different 
faces  before  me,  the  landlord  announced  that  "hash" 
was  ready.  As  I  entered  the  door,  a  number  of  per- 
sons (I  suppose,  regular  boarders)  made  a  rush  for  the 
dining-room,  and  engaged  in  a  general  scramble  as  to 
who  should  get  seated  first,  just  as  if  there  was  not 
enough  for  a  mouthful  a  piece.  I  got  a  seat,  finally, 
at  one  end  of  the  table,  but  really  I  would  have  pre- 
ferred to  have  had  my  portion  handed  out  to  me,  that 
I  might  have  eaten  it  under  some  tree,  and  there  made 
my  dinner  in  peace.  Every  fellow  was  going  for  what 
he  could  get,  as  if  it  were  the  last  meal  that  he  ever 
expected  to  eat,  and  as  if  he  had  not  partaken  of  a 
mouthful  for  several  days. 

After  the  meal  was  over,  we  went  back  to  the 
saloon,  (for  this  was  'also  the  sitting-room).  The 
crowd  immediately  arranged  themselves  around  the 
stove,  some  with  their  feet  on  the  stove,  and  leaning 
back  in  different  positions ;  others  with  their  legs  hang- 
ing over  and  resting  upon  chairs,  some  smoking,  others 


LA    PAZ.  183 

chewing  tobacco,  as  if  they  all  were  trying  to  get  the 
taste  of  the  meal  out  of  their  mouths.  Thus,  they 
resigned  themselves  to  indigestion.  The  landlord  was 
a  short,  heavy-set,  good-looking  specimen  of  a  frontiers- 
man. His  every  action  and  whole  manner  showed  him 
to  be  a  man  accustomed  to  but  one  single  thought,  and 
that  thought  was  to  get  all  he  could,  regardless  of  the 
method  employed.  I  sat  and  talked  with  him  awhile 
and  found  him  perfectly  at  home  upon  the  different 
topics  of  conversation.  He  told  me  several  stories,  all 
bearing  a  strong  flavor  of  the  roughness  of  the  place. 
He  told  me  also  what  a  wilderness  of  a  place  it  was 
when  he  first  moved  there.  I  could  but  think  while 
he  was  telling  me  this  that  it  must  have  grown  worse 
instead  of  better,  since  it  was  settled;  for,  though  I  had 
seen  rough  civilization  before,  I  had  seen  none  to  com- 
pare with  what  I  saw  that  day.  He  told  how  he  had 
killed  several  "  Injuns,"  and  several  times  was  nearly 
scalped  himself.  All  this  he  told  with  much  candor, 
but,  as  I  thought,  with  a  good  deal  of  braggadocio. 

I  after  a  little  left  the  bar-room,  and  went  to  the 
post-office.  There  I  found  a  letter,  informing  me  that 
my  friends  would  not  be  in  town  for  three  days  yet  to 
come.  I  then  took  a  stroll  through  the  streets,  if 
streets  they  can  be  called.  Here  I  beheld  numerous 
specimens  of  the  "Greaser,"  dark  and  swarthy,  and  well 
named  Greaser,  each  jabbering  to  his  friend  in  "  Mexi- 
cana."  I  saw  the  freighter  loading  up  his  teams  with 
hides,  to  take  to  some  of  the  coast  towns  in  California. 
I  found  the  saloon-keeper  everywhere,  with  his  sign  up 


184  HOW  I  KNOW. 

above  the  door,  and,  perchance,  he  himself  standing 
as  conspicuously  in  the  door-way,  inviting  those  who 
would  to  indulge  in  drink.  I  whiled  my  hours  away, 
strolling  about  until  time  to  return  to  the  hotel. 

After  resting  a  while,  I  prepared  to  retire  for  the 
night.  Preceded  by  my  redoubtable  hero  of  a  host, 
and  a  flaring  candle,  I  followed  up-stairs  to  my  room. 
It  was  the  only  spare  bed  he  had,  he  told  me.  The 
room  had  a  cloth  partition  on  one  side,  and  large 
holes  through  the  wooden  partition  on  the  other.  It 
was  unfurnished,  nothing  in  it,  except  the  spare  bed. 
It  had  a  very  small  window  on  one  side,  which  rattled 
fearfully  every  time  the  wind  came  against  it.  From 
the  bar-room  came  one  continued  uproar  of  profane 
epithets  and  drunken  orgies,  all  night  long.  I  tried  to 
sleep,  but  could  not.  I  covered  up  my  head,  thinking 
to  drown  the  tumult.  Everything  I  could  do  failed  to 
let  me  have  a  moment's  relief  from  the  gang  of  gam- 
bling and  drinking  fellows  down  stairs.  The  night 
was  long.  I  thought  daylight  would  never  come.  I 
arose  early  in  the  morning,  and  was  told  that  I  could 
get  no  breakfast  until  seven  o'clock.  I  had  firmly 
resolved  to  leave  this  boarding-house  that  morning, 
provided  I  could  find  another.  So  killing  time  as  best 
I  could,  until  breakfast  was  over,  I  started  in  search  of 
another  hotel.  Any  place  I  thought  would  be  better 
than  that  one. 

After  searching  the  town  over,  I  at  last  found  a 
place  which  I  thought  would  suit  me.  It  was  a  small, 
two-story  adobe  house,  kept  by  an  old  lady  and  her  two 


LA    PAZ.  185 

daughters.  After  all  arrangements  had  been  made, 
and  it  was  settled  that  I  should  take  up  my  stay  with 
them  until  my  companions  came  from  Los  Angelos, 
I  went  back  to  the  hotel  to  get  my  things.  When  I 
arrived,  everything  was  still  in  an  uproar.  One  big 
Texan,  beastly  drunk,  was  lying  flat  on  his  back  in 
the  bar-room,  with  a  large  dragoon  revolver  in  each 
hand,  shooting  at  everything  in  the  room  he  could  get 
sight  of.  He  had  frightened  everybody  out  of  the 
room,  so  that  he  was  like  Robinson  Crusoe,  monarch 
of  all  he  surveyed.  He  had  the  large  looking-glass 
that  was  back  of  the  bar  shattered  to  pieces  with  bul- 
lets. I  suppose  he  had  been  trying  to  kill  himself,  or 
the  fellow  that  looked  like  him  in  the  glass.  There  were 
pictures  with  holes  shot  through  them,  holes  in  the 
ceiling  over  head,  holes  in  the  windows.  The  stove 
was  lying  on  its  side,  broken  up  in  his  amusement. 
He  had  done  a  great  deal  of  mischief  in  a  short  time. 
I  told  my  host  I  would  settle  my  bill  and  take  my 
things.  He  was  sorry,  as  he  expressed  himself,  that  I 
would  not  remain  longer,  but  I  had  not  an  insurance 
on  my  life,  though  I  would  have  taken  out  a  policy 
at  almost  any  price,  the  way  I  was  feeling  just 
then.  I  settled  up,  and  gladly  took  my  departure  from 
that  ill-managed  house. 

The  idea  of  going  where  I  thought  there  would  be 
a  social  family  circle,  was  particularly  pleasant.  This 
would  naturally  be  the  case  with  most  any  single  man 
like  myself.  I  had  been  tumbling  and  pitching  over 
pumice  rocks  in  the  wrilds  of  Arizona,  with  a  load  of 


186  HOW  I  KNOW. 

surveying  apparatus  upon  my  back,  for  the  season  past.  I 
pictured  to  myself  the  sitting-room  and  dining-room  with 
the  old  lady  and  two  buxom,  grown  daughters,  bustling 
around  to  make  the  place  sociable  and  comfortable.  But 
how  often  our  imaginations  prove  delusions !  I  shouldered 
my  things,  and  off  I  went  to  my  new  boarding-house. 
I  had  my  mind  fixed  on  how  I  would  act,  and  what 
nice  things  I  would  say  to  the  old  lady,  and  how  sweetly 
I  would  talk  to  the  daughters.  I  heard  them  bustling 
around  in  the  house,  when  I  knocked  at  the  hall  door. 
My  knock  was  answered  by  the  eldest  daughter.  I 
was  told  to  walk  in.  I  was  just  commencing  one  of 
my  sweet  sentences,  and  had  just  got  out,  "  How  ha — " 
when  my  foot  caught  in  a  hole  in  the  carpet.  I  never 
finished  my  sentence,  for  I  went  falling  into  the  hall, 
over  the  young  lady,  upsetting  her  and  knocking 
down  the  hat-stand,  making  a  dreadful  racket  and 
crash. 

The  noise  brought  Mrs.  Pierce  and  her  remaining 
daughter  to  the  scene,  to  behold  my  things  strewn 
along  the  hall.  The  eldest  daughter  had  regained  an 
upright  position  against  the  wall,  and  was  no  doubt 
wondering  what  kind  of  a  boarder  they  had  got,  and  I 
was  trying  to  regain  my  equilibrium  in  another  part  of 
the  hall,  with  all  my  sweet  words  withered  and  forever 
lost.  Mrs.  Pierce  had  her  sleeves  rolled  up  to  her  el- 
bows. She  had  been  making  up  the  bread.  Not  a 
smile  was  visible  on  her  countenance.  Her  daughter 
with  a  dusting-pan  was  close  by,  wondering  no  doubt 
if  I  was  drunk  or  had  taken  a  "  conniption  fit,"  which 


LA    PAZ.  187 

last,  I  presume,  was  most  likely.  Her  sister  was  evi- 
dently frightened  almost  out  of  her  wits.  My  position 
was  to  me  more  embarrassing  than  amusing.  I  blurted 
out  some  kind  of  an  apology.  I  do  not  remember 
what  I  said.  When  I  had  gathered  my  things  together 
I  was  ushered  into  a  small  room,  certainly  not  very 
well  furnished,  which  was  used  as  a  sitting-room. 
Here  I  was  left  alone  to  wonder  what  they  thought 
of  me.  I  heard  the  daughters  say  to  each  other, 
"How  clumsy  he  is!" 

"  Yes,  he  is  so.    I  wonder  if  he  is  drunk. " 

"What  a   stumbling  w^ay  he   has  of  coming   into  a 


room!' 


"I  should  say  he  had.  Did  you  see  him?  He  fell 
over  me  and  knocked  me  down.  He  frightened  me 
so  I  could  hardly  get  my  breath  to  speak.  I  wonder 
who  he  is,  and  what  he  has  got  in  his  valise,  and  how 
long  he  intends  to  stay  here,"  etc.,  with  innumerable 
other  questions  and  comments,  until  I  thought  my 
position  rather  unenviable  and  unpromising. 

I  had  not  been  there  long,  before  dinner  was 
announced.  When  I  went  in  to  dinner,  I  found  the 
table  had  been  laid  with  care,  and  that  I  was  the  only 
boarder  present.  Mrs.  Pierce  headed  the  table,  and 
the  two  daughters  sat  opposite  me,  eating  in  a  lazy 
manner,  and  occasionally  casting  inquisitive  glances 
across  the  table  at  me,  (a  sort  of  Arkansas  courtship). 
I  was  dreadfully  hungry,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  they 
were  counting  how  many  chops  and  what  amount  of 
other  things  I  ate,  so  that  they  might  calculate  the 


188  HOW  I  KNOW. 

expense  of  my  meal.  I  was  ashamed  of  my  appetite, 
but  I  determined  to  eat  as  much  as  I  could.  Toward 
the  end  of  my  meal,  for  the  others  had  finished,  the 
eldest  daughter  arose  and  donned  her  hat  and  shawl. 
Having  given  her  mother  some  instructions  in  reference 
to  supper,  and  bade  us  "  Good  afternoon,"  she  took  her 
departure.  I  heard  her  slam  the  door  after  her  as 
she  left  the  house.  I  took  the  hint  and  stopped  eating. 
I  betook  myself  to  the  country  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day.  I  saw  nothing  worthy  of  special  notice,  only  a  dry, 
barren,  desolate-looking  plain,  dotted  all  over  here  and 
there  with  buttes  of  black  rock  or  lava  stone.  When 
I  returned  to  town,  the  sun  was  sinking  from  sight 
behind  the  dark-colored  mountains  in  the  west. 

After  supper  I  strolled  around  over  town  again  a 
little  while,  to  see,  as  on  the  previous  evening,  crowds 
assembled  to  again  pass  the  night  away  in  gambling, 
drinking,  and  carousing.  But  this  time  there  were 
to  be  more  serious  results.  There  was  quite  a  lot  of 
soldiers  in  town  this  evening  for  some  purpose,  I  know 
not  what.  All  the  gambling  houses  were  filled  with 
soldiers  and  natives.  They  spent  the  evening  in  gam- 
bling, until  it  became  monotonous,  as  I  suppose,  when 
soldiers  and  citizens  changed  the  sport  into  shooting 
and  cutting  one  another.  Two  men  were  killed  out- 
right during  the  night,  and  others  were  badly  hurt. 
This  drunken  and  gambling  carousal  was  going  on  as 
long  as  I  remained  in  La  Paz.  Horse-racing,  chicken- 
fighting,  dog-fighting,  and  everything  involving  the 
principle  of  chance  was  sought  after  for  gambling  pur- 


LA    PAZ.  189 

poses.  Every  occasion  of  this  kind  generally  ended 
in  a  row,  to  be  settled  with  the  pistol  or  knife. 

After  I  had  seen  enough  of  their  rioting,  I  returned 
to  my  lodgings.  I  was  tired  and  sleepy,  and  soon 
went  up-stairs  to  bed.  I  have  seen  better  beds  in 
Ohio.  This  one  was  filled  with  bed-bugs.  The  walls 
of  the  room  were  filled;  the  floor  was  full.  They 
were  of  all  sizes  and  colors.  They  all  wanted  to  be  in 
the  bed.  I  could  see  them,  and  smell  them,  and  could 
hear  them  falling  from  the  ceiling  upon  the  bed.  They 
ran  all  over  me.  They  bit  me  with  an  energy  that 
could  only  have  been  inspired  by  much  previous  fasting. 
I  suppose  I  was  a  stranger,  and  they  enjoyed  a  change 
of  diet.  Sleep  was  out  of  the  question.  After  I  had 
lain  for,  perhaps,  half  an  hour  turning  and  twisting 
frantically,  trying  to  keep  the  bugs  out  of  my  ears  and 
face,  I  began  to  wish  I  had  not  gone  to  bed.  I  re- 
gretted that  I  had  come  to  La  Paz.  When  a  restless 
hour  had  been  spent  with  the  bugs,  I  got  up  and 
dressed  myself,  swearing  inwardly  at  La  Paz  and  the 
whole  country. 

There  had  been  a  fire  down  in  the  sitting-room.  Per- 
haps it  was  still  burning.  I  had  brought  a  small  piece 
of  candle  up-stairs  with  me,  but  no  matches.  I  opened 
my  door  and  groped  my  way  along  the  passage  made 
doubly  gloomy  by  the  whistling  of  the  night  wind. 
In  feeling  for  the  stairway,  I  got  to  the  wrong  end  of 
the  opening.  There  was  no  railing  around  it,  and, 
groping  along  in  the  darkness,  I  stepped  off  into  space 
and  fell  down  through  the  opening,  hard  enough  to 


190  HOW  I  KNOW. 

have  broken  every  bone  in  my  body.  The  memory  of 
that  fall  makes  me  laugh  even  now.  I  do  wonder  if  other 
people  ever  fall  down  stairs.  It  gives  one  curious  feel- 
ings, to  fall  down  stairs  in  a  strange  house.  I  picked 
myself  up  as  best  I  could  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and 
entered  the  room.  I  found  the  fire  still  burning  a 
little.  I  was  very  much  jammed  and  bruised,  and  was 
bleeding  in  several  places  where  I  had  been  hurt 
by  the  fall.  I  stirred  the  fire  up,  and,  drawing  a  chair 
close  to  the  stove,  was  just  falling  into  some  serious 
meditations  over  my  situation,  when  the  door  was 
opened,  and  the  eldest  daughter  looked  into  the  room 
in  a  frightened  way.  She  had  heard  me  falling  down 
stairs,  and,  wondering  what  could  cause  so  much  dis- 
turbance, she  had  gathered  up  courage  enough  to  come 
down  and  see.  I  tried  to  explain  the  situation  by  tell- 
ing her  that  the  bed  they  had  given  me  to  sleep  in  was 
already  taken  with  hungry  occupants,  etc. 

We  fell  into  a  conversation,  and  I  learned  many 
particulars  from  her  in  reference  to  the  history  of  the 
family.  There  were  only  the  three  of  them  at  home. 
They  had  a  sister  married,  and  a  brother  in  the  Fresno 
Mines,  in  California.  Mr.  Pierce,  their  father,  had  been 
killed  in  a  row  two  years  before  at  one  of  the  mining 
camps  north.  We  talked  until  I  was  sleepy.  I  then 
asked  her  to  give  me  a  spare  blanket,  if  they  had  one. 
She  gave  me  a  number  of  them.  I  then  made  a  bed 
on  the  floor,  where  I  enjoyed  as  good  a  sleep,  as  I  ever 
had,  for  I  was  tired  and  sleepy.  I  did  not  awake  until 
the  sun  was  shining  brightly  through  the  window.  I 


LA  PAZ.  191 

remained  in  La  Paz  and  vicinity  for  two  more  days 
and  nights,  when  my  friends  arrived.  I  slept  on  the 
floor  each  night,  in  preference  to  any  of  their  beds. 

Before  I  leave  I  will  sum  up  my  impressions  of  the 
place  briefly.  The  sun  blazes  down  upon  the  town 
from  the  cloudless  skies  day  after  day  in  succession, 
until  one's  weary  eyes  long  for  relief  from  the  dazzling 
light.  There  can  not  be  found  a  hotter  place  on  the 
American  Continent,  taking  the  year  around,  than 
Yuma  County,  Arizona.  The  natives  of  La  Paz  are 
principally  Mexican  Greasers.  Their  stock  in  trade  is 
horse-racing,  whisky,  cards,  tobacco,  cigarettes,  a  knife, 
one  and  often  two  revolvers,  a  lasso  or  lariat,  with  a 
few  other  like  articles.  It  may  be  that  it  would  be 
more  gracious,  and  more  to  my  credit,  did  I  not  find 
so  much  fault  with  the  natives  of  Arizona.  But  I  spent 
some  time  there,  and  all  the  scenes  I  have  narrated, 
and  will  yet  speak  of,  took  place.  Consequently,  I  am 
profoundly  of  the  opinion  that  a  good  part  of  the  natives 
need  to  be  enlightened  and  civilized. 

I  went  back  to  the  Fort  again  on  the  stage,  as  I 
came.  We  went  first  to  Los  Posos,  a  Spanish  town; 
then,  from  there,  we  went  across  over  the  South  Granite 
Mountains.  The  next  station  we  halted  at  was  Deep 
Well,  where  we  cross  the  Mass  Kampa  River,  which  is 
one  of  the  northern  tributaries  of  the  Gila  River;  thence 
to  White  Tanks,  and  thence  to  Fort  McDowell.  Fort 
McDowell  is  situated  on  the  Francisco  River.  This 
stream  empties  into  the  Solado  River,  and  the  Solado 
runs  into  the  Gila.  Fort  McDowell  is  hemmed  in  on 


192  HOW  I  KNOW. 

all  sides  by  low,  broken  hills,  much  lower  than  those  a 
little  farther  distant.  These  side  hills  produce  but  little 
vegetation.  Scarcely  any  grass  could  be  seen  on  them. 
At  the  foot  of  these  hills,  in  some  places  where  there 
is  water,  as  along  the  river  bottoms,  there  is  some  very 
good  grass;  but  it  is  not  as  plentiful,  neither  is  the  soil 
as  productive,  as  where  the  climate  is  cooler,  and  there 
is  less  drought.  Even  if  it  rains  hard  in  Arizona,  the 
water  soon  disappears  in  the  sandy  soil.  The  Fort  is 
situated  midway  between  Prescott  on  the  north  and 
Tucson  on  the  south. 

I  was  glad  enough  to  arrive  back  again,  where 
my  companions  were  awaiting  my  return.  It  was 
about  eleven  o'clock  at  night  when  the  "Jerkey" 
wagon  drove  up.  I  was  tired  and  hungry.  My  appe- 
tite flourishes  with  exercise  in  the  open  air.  But  I  had 
a  good  supper  of  venison,  fish,  potatoes,  bread,  etc., 
followed  by  an  hour's  talk  with  those  who  had  not  yet 
retired  to  sleep,  but  had  been  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  mail.  The  remainder  of  the  night,  spent  in  sound 
sleep,  put  me  in  good  shape  again,  and  I  felt  better 
than  I  had  at  any  time  since  I  had  left  there  to  go  to 
La  Paz.  Roughing  it  is  very  pleasant,  of  course;  but 
I  would  not  advise  anyone  to  try  it  on.  In  this  expe- 
rience you  must  meet  with  various,  unexpected,  and 
vexatious  misfortunes,  seldom  thought  of  or  met  else- 
where. It  is  only  the  man  of  rare  good  fortune  that 
in  such  a  life  as  this  meets  with  sufficient  reward  to 
justify  and  compensate  him  for  all  his  loss  of  comfort 
and  enjoyment. 


STOCK-RAISING.  193 


CHAPTER  XV. 

STOCK-RAISING. 

AMONG  all  the  various  enterprises  in  the  West 
stock-raising  ranks  first.  With  many  of  these 
western  settlers  it  seems  as  natural  and  easy  to  raise 
stock  successfully  as  it  is  for  the  farmer  of  Illinois  to 
raise  corn.  Some  men  are  always  more  successful  in  an 
undertaking  than  others  are  who  may  have  equal,  if  not 
better,  advantages;  and  they  generally  succeed,  too,  with 
more  ease,  less  attention  to  business  apparently,  and 
with  a  certain  don't-care,  go-ahead  kind  of  spirit  that 
seems,  to  a  beholder,  to  border  closely  upon  recklessness. 
The  ease  and  success  with  which  this  business  is  pros- 
ecuted, depends  principally  upon  the  number  of  cattle 
one  has  in  the  herd,  and  the  locality  and  situation  of 
the  range.  As  in  other  enterprises,  the  more  attention 
bestowed  upon  it,  and  the  greater  care  exercised,  the 
greater  the  profits.  To  start  into  the  cattle  business  a  man 
must  have  money.  He  purchases  a  brand  for  marking  his 
stock,  which  is  generally  the  initials  of  his  name,  or  some- 
times an  imitation  of  some  instrument.  This  brand  or 
mark  is  recorded  at  the  nearest  county  clerk's  office. 

The  man  that  goes  into  raising  stock  must 
content  himself  to  live  along  the  frontier,  away 
from  all  society,  except  of  a  few  frontier  neighbors. 
He  is  shut  off  from  all  communication  with  the 


194  HOW  I  KNOW. 

world  at  large,  away  from  railroads  and  post-offices, 
sometimes  as  much  as  three  hundred  miles — in  earlier 
days,  much  further  than  this,  indeed.  Stock-raisers  gen- 
erally go  into  the  foot  hills,  because  there  they  find  past- 
urage and  water.  The  foot-hill  and  mountain  bunch 
grass  is  excellent  food  for  stock.  The  herd  consists  of 
cattle  of  all  kind  and  all  ages.  After  these  are  all  prop- 
erly branded,  they  are  turned  loose  on  their  respective 
ranges.  Some  of  the  stockmen  who  have  been  in  the 
business  a  long  time  have  enormous  herds.  These  are 
left  in  the  hands  of  herders,  or,  as  they  are  called  in 
Texas,  "  Cow-boys."  These  herders  are  a  very  rough, 
uncouth,  and  untidy  class  of  fellows. 

When  an  animal  is  sold  from  a  herd,  then  the  former 
owner  brands  it  with  what  is  known  as  a  vending  brand. 
This  vending  brand  is  recorded  like  the  former.  It  is 
used  to  cancel  the  former  brand.  When  this  is  applied 
to  an  animal,  it  indicates  that  the  former  owner  relin- 
quishes all  right  and  title  to  said  animal.  When  an 
owner's  whole  stock  is  purchased,  then  the  purchaser 
generally  buys  the  brand  also,  and  that  saves  canceling. 
All  the  animals  that  can  be  found  bearing  the  former 
owner's  brand,  belong  to  the  last  purchaser.  When 
animals  are  bought  and  driven  away,  it  is  customary  to 
give  a  bill  of  sale,  which  bill  is  recognized  and  re- 
spected by  law. 

In  early  days  an  owner  of  cattle  could  drive  his  herd 
where  he  liked;  but  now  there  are  inspectors  in  nearly 
every  county  in  which  a  large  business  in  stock-raising 
is  carried  on.  Before  stock  is  taken  from  the  county, 


5  TO  CK-RA  IS  ING. 


195 


it   is   inspected    by   the    County    Inspector.     Then    the 
owner  is   permitted  to  pass  with    his  stock  where  he 


A    WESTERN    FRONTIERSMAN. 


pleases.     When  stock  is  on  the  ranges  that  the  owners 
have  assigned  for  it,  it  is  left  entirely  in  the  hands  of 


196  HOW  I  KNOW. 

herders,  or  cow-boys.  These  look  after  the  stock,  stand 
guard  over  it,  and,  if  any  animals  wander  away,  they 
look  after  and  hunt  them  up.  Oftentimes  several  own- 
fers  of  stock  join  together,  and  let  their  herders  run  the 
same  range.  Some  of  the  herding  grounds  are  as  much 
as  fifty  miles  square.  The  cattle  are  allowed  to  run  at 
will  on  this  large  scope  of  territory.  The  herders  re- 
main on  the  outskirts,  where  they  ride  around  from  post 
to  post,  keeping  the  stock  within  the  proper  bounds. 
A  good  range  consists  of  any  territory  away  from  the 
settlements,  with  sufficient  room,  plenty  of  good  grass, 
a  supply  of  water,  and  plenty  of  shelter,  either  timber  or 
bluffs.  The  herder  is  allowed  sometimes  as  many  as  five 
or  six  ponies,  which  he  rides  by  turns  while  herding. 

The  most  work  the  herder  has,  is  when  a  herd  is 
removed  from  one  range  to  another.  Then  great  dili- 
gence is  required  from  the  herders,  until  the  animals 
become  accustomed  to  their  new  range.  This  may 
take  some  time,  as  some  animals  are  naturally  much 
inclined  to  wander.  If  some  start  from  a  herd,  a  great 
many  more  will  follow.  If  animals  leave  the  herd, 
and  the  direction  they  have  gone  is  not  known,  which 
is  often  the  case,  then  the  range  is  circled  until  their 
tracks  are  discovered,  when  they  are  followed  up  and 
brought  back.  If  stock  is  taken  to  a  new  range  in  the 
fall  of  the  year,  and  is  fed  and  salted  occasionally, 
until  they  can  get  good  grass,  they  do  not  then  incline 
so  much  to  rambling.  Stock  is  very  seldom  fed  in  the 
West,  where  herded.  Work  cattle  and  milch  cows 
are  sometimes  fed  in  bad  weather. 


STOCK -RAISING.  197 

The  stock-men  have  certain  times  when  they  make 
what  they  call  "  round-ups."  Then  all  who  are  inter- 
ested in  stock-raising,  turn  out  and  round  in  their 
stock.  The  calves  are  all  branded  and  marked  by 
their  respective  owners.  This  is  an  exciting  time. 
The  long-horned  Texas  and  Mexican  cattle,  the  full- 
bloods  of  that  breed,  wild  and  vicious,  come  pitching 
at  horse  and  rider  with  all  their  mad  and  enraged 
strength.  They  will  run  right  over  one,  if  possible,  and 
trample  and  gore  him  to  death. 

Here  is  Mr.  Rust's  description  of  the  cow-boys, 
and  their  customs:  "There  are  various  rules  and  cus- 
toms among  stock-men.  Some  of  their  practices  are 
in  diametrical  opposition  to  the  statutory  provisions  and 
common  law.  Cow-boys  are  said,  in  the  way  of  laud- 
ation, to  be  brave,  bold,  free-hearted  and  true  to  their 
friends.  In  the  fulfillment  of  the  above  specification, 
they  take  pride,  even  though  not  in  strict  obedience  to 
law  and  order.  Yet,  the  services  of  the  expert  cow- 
boys are  indispensable,  and  they  must  be  tolerated, 
although  they  arrogate  to  themselves  superior  powers, 
and  at  times  set  law  at  defiance.  There  is  practically 
no  appeal  from  their  decisions,  they  being  out  of  the 
reach  of  law.  They  defend  themselves  most  vigor- 
ously against  what  they  may  deem  any  encroachment 
upon  their  sacred  rights.  Arrests  or  apprehensions  are 
seldom  made  on  their  grounds.  They,  like  the  Mor- 
mons, keep  the  law  in  their  own  hands. 

>6  When  a  new  cow-boy  enters  a  camp,  a  few  of  the 
boys  propose  a  hunt.  All  agree.  A  part  of  the 


198  HOW  I  KNOW. 

campers,  including  the  new  one,  wheel  into  rank  for 
the  hunt.  They  make  a  half  day's  ride  out  to  some 
convenient  hunting  ground,  where  they  prepare  a 
camp.  They  leave  here  a  proper  number  on  guard,  of 
which  number  the  new  comer  is  one.  This  guard  is 
to  give  an  alarm,  in  case  of  a  surprise  by  Indians. 
Another  party,  from  the  main  camp,  in  full  Indian 
costume  then  comes  rushing  upon  the  camp  about 
midnight.  They  fire  twenty  or  thirty  blank  shots,  and 
give  the  war  whoop.  The  sleeping  hunters  awake, 
and  raise  the  cry  of  '  Indians,  boys,  Indians!  Run, 
run!'  All,  Greeny  included,  rush  pell-mell  into  the 
bush,  leaving  the  horses.  It  often  happens  that  the 
new  one  is  never  seen  again.  I  do  not  mean  to  insin- 
uate that  there  is  ever  foul  play  used  on  such  occasions. 
The  new  comer  has  simply  gone  off  after  a  stock  of 
courage." 

There  are  many  such  tricks  resorted  to,  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  testing  the  courage  of  a  new  hand. 
These  cow-boys,  or  stock-herders,  are  bound  by  the  sa- 
crecl  ties  of  brotherhood  to  defend  one  another.  These, 
with  the  Indians,  are  about  the  only  neighbors  one 
has  on  the  frontier. 

Often  you  will  find  men  with  small  herds,  which 
they  look  after  themselves;  they  seldom  venture  as  far 
away  from  the  pale  of  society  as  those  with  larger 
herds,  who  have  a  number  of  cow-boys  in  their 
employ. 

The  life  of  the  frontier  herder  is  one  of  continual 
danger.  Indians  are  supposed  to  be  either  on  reserva- 


STOCK-RAISING. 


199 


tions   and  peaceable,  or  back  from   the  frontier.     Yet, 
they  will  often  come  swooping  down  like  an  eagle  after 


READY    FOR    A    RAID. 

its  prey,  and  kill  the  herders,  and  drive  the  whole 
herd  away  to  their  retreat.  And  this  is  so  common  an 
occurrence,  that  it  happens  every  day  in  some  part  of 


200  HOW  I  KNOW. 

the  West.  Whole  settlements  have  been  left  destitute 
of  horses,  cattle  and  sheep,  in  a  short  time,  as  the 
principal  part  of  the  frontier-man's  wealth  consists  of 
stock.  When  this  stock  is  run  off,  he  is  in  a  very  poor 
condition.  Frequently,  hard  fights  follow,  to  recover 
property  from  the  Indians,  where  whole  settlements 
are  sometimes  either  murdered  or  driven  away  from 
their  homes  entirely.  Of  this  I  will  speak  again, 
further  on. 


STOCK-BROKER  AND  FREIGHTER.  201 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

STOCK-BROKER  AND  FREIGHTER. 

NEW  Year's  Day,  1877,  found  me  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, California.  I  had  for  some  time  been  deal- 
ing in  mining  stocks,  and,  like  the  majority  of  people 
who  dabbled  in  stocks  that  winter,  I  had  been  unsuc- 
cessful. I  had  bought  Ophir,  Mexican,  Union-Consol- 
idated and  Sierra  Nevada  stock  at  a  high  figure. 
The  Board  of  Brokers  in  the  Stock  Exchange  is 
divided  into  two  factions,  one  the  opposite  of  the 
other.  These  factions  are  known  to  the  public  by 
their  well-earned  titles  of  "Bulls"  and  "Bears." 
The  object  of  the  "Bulls"  is  to  keep  stock  up  to  a 
good  price;  while  the  "Bears"  do  their  best  to  break 
the  market  by  large  sales  of  stock,  often  going  so  far 
as  to  sell  stock  that  is  not  in  their  possession. 

During  the  Winter  both  factions  had  taken  a  very 
active  part;  but  the  "  Bears  "  finally  won  the  field,  and 
the  "  Bulls  "  had  been  compelled  to  retreat  in  confusion. 
The  market  had  gone  down,  until  mining  stock  was 
a  drug.  Previous  to  this  time  stocks  had  fluctuated 
more  or  less,  and  generally  stood  at  fair  prices.  A 
person  of  shrewd  judgment  could  make  fair  profits  on 
quick  sales,  often  doubling  the  money  invested  in  a 
week's  transaction  of  business.  I  remember  that  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Winter  I  made  a  purchase  of  several 


202  HOW  I  KNOW. 

shares  in  one  of  the  leading  Washoe  mines,  and  in  ten 
days  I  sold  out  for  nearly  four  times  what  the  stock 
cost  me.  But,  about  January  i,  there  came  a  depres- 
sion. To  double  up  stock  now  was  only  to  lose,  and  to 
double  on  a  margin  was  sure  destruction.  I  with  hun- 
dreds of  others  found  myself  losing  daily.  I  could  see  no 
better  way  out  than  to  sell,  and  save  what  I  could  by 
putting  it  into  my  pocket.  I  did  so.  I  then  found  that 
I  had  lost  about  two-thirds  of  the  money  I  had  when  I 
began.  Out  of  the  eleven  thousand  dollars  I  started  in 
with,  I  saved  three  thousand. 

I  continued  watching  the  market  closely,  and  often 
thought  another  investment  in  such  and  such  stock 
would  prove  a  splendid  speculation.  But  I  was  afraid 
to  invest.  This  was  my  situation,  when  I  received  a 
dispatch  from  my  uncle  in  Utah  Territory  to  come  on 
there  immediately.  He  wished  me  to  invest  some 
money  in  teams,  and  to  go  with  him  as  a  partner  to  Col- 
orado with  flour.  We  could  buy  flour  in  Utah  for 
three  dollars  a  hundred.  In  Ouray,  Colorado,  flour 
was  worth  fifteen  dollars  a  hundred,  and  we  could 
readily  get  that  price  for  all  we  might  take  there.  We 
would  have  a  good  road  all  the  way,  but  it  was  through 
the  Ute  and  Piute  country.  The  road  was  traveled  but 
little,  since  few  persons  cared  to  undertake  such  a 
hazardous  journey.  My  uncle  had  just  come  over  the 
road  in  company  with  some  others,  and  thought  that 
we  could  make  the  trip  in  thirty-five  days  with  freight 
teams.  Having  been  a  heavy  loser  in  California  stocks, 
I  thought  this  looked  like  a  big  thing  for  me,  and  that 


STOCK-BROKER  AND  FREIGHTER. 


203 


I  would  not  be  likely  to  find  any  better  opportun- 
ity to  redeem  my  shattered  fortunes.  I  sent  a  letter  to 
my  uncle,  asking  for  full  particulars,  and  meanwhile 
began  to  settle  up  all  my  affairs,  preparatory  to  joining 
him.  My  letter  was  delayed  for  some  time  on  the  road. 
I  did  not  get  an  answer  until  near  the  end  of  the  month. 
When  the  answer  did  come,  it  was  sufficiently  satis- 
factory to  induce  me  to  make  the  venture  and  see 
wrhat  we  could  do.  So,  on  the  fourth  of  February,  I 


SALT    LAKE    CITY,    1857. 

left  San  Francisco  for  Salt  Lake  City,  which  place  I 
reached  two  days  after.  The  city  of  the  Latter-Day 
Saints  presented  a  bustling,  thriving  appearance,  having 
grown  from  a  mere  straggling  village  in  1857  to  a 
Mormon  metropolis  of  some  15,000  inhabitants  in  1874. 
I  found  Uncle  there,  but  by  no  means  ready  to  start. 
Here  I  met  with  a  number  of  persons  I  had  known 
when  I  first  came  West.  Some  of  them  I  now  found 


204  HOW  I  KNOW. 

in  good  circumstances.  Others  were  evidently  rather 
the  worse  for  hard  luck;  a  great  many  of  them  in  very 
poor  circumstances,  without  money  or  property  of 
any  kind. 

I  was  there  several  days,  waiting  to  see  what  was 
to  be  done,  for  I  had  learned  on  my  arrival  that  there 
were  to  be  three  partners  in  the  undertaking.  I  amused 
myself  by  going  to  the  theater  in  the  evenings,  and  by 
hunting  up  and  talking  with  old  acquaintances  during 
the  day.  I  went  one  day  to  see  Captain  Bogardus  kill 
his  forty-four  birds  out  of  a  possible  fifty.  The  Cap- 
tain gained  celebrity  in  San  Francisco  in  the  sport  of 
shooting.  He  is  considered  the  crack  shot  of  the 
world.  The  boarding  at  the  Salt  Lake  House,  where 
I  stopped,  was  wretched.  I  could  not  stand  it.  I 
slept  there,  and  went  to  the  Arcade  Restaurant,  where 
I  could  get  a  good  meal,  for  fifty  cents,  of  anything  I 
called  for. 

On  Thursday,  the  i5th,  we  went  to  Lowell  &  Co.,  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  bought  wagons,  and  a  complete  out- 
fit of  everything  pertaining  to  them,  as  bows,  covers,  etc. 
The  next  day  we  shipped  these,  via  the  Utah  Southern 
Railroad,  to  York,  at  that  time  the  terminus  of  the  road.  It 
is  nearly  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  We 
went  to  York  the  same  day,  unloaded  our  wagons,  and 
set  them  up.  They  were  all  large,  four  and  one-half 
inch  thimble,  Fish  Brothers'  wagons,  made  at  Racine, 
Wisconsin,  with  high  beds  and  broad  tread.  We  staid 
in  York  over  night,  and  the  next  morning  hired  a 
man  to  take  the  wagons  to  Fountain  Green,  a  settle- 


STOCK-BROKER  AND  FREIGHTER.  205 

ment  in  the  northern  part  of  San  Pete  County.  We 
went  to  Salt  Creek  by  stage,  and  staid  all  night  at  a 
Gentile  hotel,  owned  and  managed  by  a  Mr.  Seely. 
There  were  a  great  many  miners  and  others  there,  all 
Gentiles. 

Mr.  Seely  being  a  Gentile,  the  Mormons  would  not 
put  up  with  him.  They  preferred  to  stop  with  Mr. 
Foot,  who  kept  a  Mormon  house.  He  is  the  man  who 
has  attained  considerable  notoriety  from  having  taken 
so  active  a  part  in  sheltering  and  deceiving  the  two 
wounded  men  who  had  escaped  and  made  their  way  to 
his  place,  more  dead  than  alive,  from  the  horrible 
butchery  of  their  party  on  the  banks  of  the  Sevier 
River,  south  of  Salt  Creek,  by  Brigham  Young's  in- 
famous "destroying  angels."  After  these  two  poor 
fellows  had  remained  some  days  with  Foot,  they  en- 
deavored to  procure  transportation  to  Salt  Lake  City. 
An  old  wagon  was  furnished  them  by  one  man,  and 
after  a  little  time  they  found  a  Mormon,  who  agreed  to 
hitch  his  team  to  the  wagon  and  take  them  to  the  city. 
Foot  had  taken  possession  of  their  revolvers,  and  would 
not  give  them  up.  He,  by  the  way,  has  one  of  them 
yet  in  his  possession,  a  very  handsome  revolver, 
mounted  in  gold.  When  they  had  gone  a  short  dis- 
tance from  town,  the  driver  halted  under  the  pretense 
of  watering  his  horses.  The  two  poor  fellows  were 
again  immediately  set  upon  by  some  of  these  hellish 
rascals,  who  were  lying  in  wait  for  them,  and  shot  with 
doubled-barreled  shot-guns.  One  of  them  fell  dead  in 
the  wagon,  and  the  other  on  the  outside.  Their  bodies 


206  HOW  I  KNOW. 

were  then  taken  to  what  is  known  as  the  Bottomless 
Spring,  close  by  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  and  there 
weighted  with  rocks,  and  thrown  in;  the  cold-blooded 
murderers  thus  hiding  in  this  spring  the  evidences  of 
another  of  their  most  foul  deeds.  This  same  Foot  is 
still  keeping  a  hotel  in  Salt  Creek,  or  was  when  I  was 
there,  and  the  rest  of  the  perpetrators  of  that  deed  are 
running  at  large. 

At  Mr.  Seely's,  I  met  with  a  number  of  persons  I 
had  formerly  known.  Among  the  rest  were  the  Gilson 
brothers,  owners  of  a  large  herd  of  California  horses, 
which  they  kept  in  Castle  Valley.  Sam  Gilson  was 
United  States  Marshal  in  Utah.  These  brothers  are 
large,  strong,  daring  and  resolute  men,  each  standing 
over  six  feet  in  height.  They  are  very  well  liked  by  the 
Gentiles,  but  feared  and  held  in  dread  by  the  Mormons, 
who  repeatedly  make  assaults  on  them.  They  are  all 
scarred  and  cut  in  many  places  on  their  persons,  but, 
like  cats,  they  are  very  tenacious  of  life. 

The  next  day  we  hired  a  man  to  take  us  to  Manti. 
This  is  a  settlement  in  San  Pete  County,  and  entirely 
Mormon.  The  Mormons  are  erecting  at  this  place 
another  temple,  similar  to  the  one  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
Here  we  went  to  buying  work-oxen  of  the  Mormons. 
We  wanted  fifty  yoke  of  cattle,  so  that  we  could  work 
six  yoke  to  the  team,  and  have  two  yoke  as  extras. 
Six  yoke  of  cattle  and  two  wagons  constitute  a  team, 
with  one  driver.  We  were  in  Manti  until  the  morning 
of  the  twenty-fifth.  We  had  not  yet  bought  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  cattle.  We  took  twenty-four  yoke 


STOCK- BROKER  AND  FREIGHTER.  207 

and  went  to  Fountain  Green,  to  Mr.  Dougall's  flour- 
ing mill,  and  loaded  up  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  flour. 
There  was  no  trouble  in  driving  the  cattle  up  to 
Fountain  Green,  for  they  were  all  loose,  and  traveled 
as  fast  as  we  wanted  to  go. 

I  had  never  driven  cattle  in  my  life,  but  I  did  not 
see  anything  to  hinder  me  from  driving.  I  thought 
about  all  there  was  to  do  was  to  walk  along  and  keep 
them  in  the  road,  and,  if  an  ox  shirked  a  little,  to  touch 
him  up  with  the  whip.  But  that  word  "whip"  brings 
to  my  memory  the  many  painful  cuttings  and  slashings 
that  I  inflicted  upon  myself.  I  had  a  whip  with  a  lash 
eighteen  feet  long,  near  two  inches  in  diameter  at  the 
largest  part,  and  a  stock  about  four  feet  long.  This  whip 
worried  me.  I  could  not  crack  it  like  other  ox  drivers 
did.  I  was  continually  trying.  I  wondered  how  they 
could  make  their  whip  crack  so.  I  thought  there 
must  be  some  slight  in  it.  My  companions  in  the  pro- 
fession had  been  driving  before;  they  had  had  experience. 
They  tried  to  teach  me.  I  would  try,  try  again;  I 
kept  trying,  and  all  I  could  accomplish  would  be  to 
slash  the  tail  end  of  my  whip  around  my  head  and 
neck.  I  would  then  try  the  under  hand  lick;  would 
succeed  in  cutting  myself  most  unmercifully  around  the 
legs,  or  else  in  getting  the  lash  all  coiled  and  entangled 
about  my  feet,  almost  throwing  me  down.  I  would 
stop  and  uncoil  it,  and  get  it  all  straightened  out,  and 
then  try  to  swing  it  over  and  around  my  head,  but 
there  was  something  wrong  with  the  whip,  for  the 
snapper  and  my  head  were  continually  coming  in 


208  HOW  I  KNOW. 

contact  with  each  other,  bringing  the  water  to  my  eyes. 
I  was,  of  course,  angry,  and  out  of  patience,  but  I  kept 
my  sufferings  to  myself.  Myself  and  whip  afforded 
much  amusement  to  the  boys.  I  was  vexed  to  think  I 
was  outdone.  I  would  steal  out  with  my  whip  where 
I  thought  I  would  be  unobserved,  to  practice  striking 
at  some  object.  But  the  boys  were  wide-awake  fellows 
when  there  was  any  prospect  for  fun.  They  would 
steal  a  march  on  me,  and  lie  concealed  and  watch  me 
cutting  and  slashing  away  with  that  whip  in  very  dead 
earnest.  When  they  had  laughed  until  their  sides  were 
sore,  and  their  cheeks  were  wet  with  tears  of  amuse- 
ment (and  mine,  meanwhile,  with  tears  of  anger  and 
pain),  they  would  then  laugh  outright,  and  make  their 
presence  known  to  me.  Then  I  would  invariably  wilt. 
After  our  flour  was  all  loaded,  we  then  set  to  work 
to  yoke  up  the  cattle.  That  was  another  job  I 
dreaded,  and  the  more  so  after  we  had  the  cattle  corral- 
ed  in  a  large  pen.  I  was  nervous,  I  have  no  doubt, 
for  some  of  the  cattle  had  horns,  and,  oh!  what  horns! 
— nearly  as  long  as  the  rest  of  the  body;  they  looked 
frightful.  Some  of  the  cattle  were  wild,  very  wild, 
while  others  were  friendly,  in  fact,  too  friendly,  for  they 
would  come  as  far  as  they  could  get  their  horns 
through  the  corral  fence  to  meet  us.  I  do  not  know 
why,  but  somehow  or  other,  it  became  an  understood 
thing,  from  the  start,  that  I  was  to  help  yoke  and 
tend  the  cattle.  I  cannot  tell  the  experience  of 
others,  but  my  first  lesson  in  yoking  up  convinced  me 
of  several  things.  First,  that  Texas  and  Mexican  cat- 


STOCK- BROKER    AND  FREIGHTER.  209 

tie  have  horns,  and  that  they  are  not  particular  how 
they  use  them.  And,  secondly,  that  each  one  of  them 
is  in  possession  of  a  pair  of  hind  legs  that  a  mule  might 
be  proud  of.  Probably  the  only  thing  that  kept  me 
from  using  my  revolver,  which  I  was  carrying  in  my 
belt,  was  that  such  action  might  be  fraught  with  much 
more  danger  to  the  persons  around  the  corral,  watching, 
laughing  and  joking,  and  to  my  companions  on  the  in- 
side, than  to  the  particular  ox  which  was  just  then  the 
object  of  my  ire.  Some  of  these  cattle  were  easy  to 
yoke.  We  had  to  lasso  others  of  them,  and  draw  them 
up  to  a  post.  We  would  put  a  yoke  on  the  one  caught, 
and  then  lasso  another  and  draw  him  up  beside  that 
one.  We  used  the  gentle  ones  for  leaders,  and  would 
drive  these  around  in  front  of  t.he  wild  ones,  and  fasten 
them  together  by  a  chain,  before  we  let  them  loose. 
After  a  long  time  had  been  spent  in  yoking  and 
hitching  up,  we  drove  out,  starting  back  to  Manti, 
where  we  expected  to  get  more  cattle  and  more  freight. 
The  roads  were  very  muddy.  In  the  settled  portion 
of  Utah,  there  is  a  ditch  on  either  side  of  every  street 
and  road,  and  many  cross-ditches,  so  that  water  is 
running  in  every  direction,  to  be  used  for  irrigating 
and  other  purposes.  These  ditches  are  seldom,  if  ever, 
bridged,  and  the  mud  is  much  deeper  than  the  water. 
Whenever  we  came  to  one  of  these  settlements,  we 
would  put  twelve  yoke  of  cattle  to  one  wagon,  and 
then  a  number  of  drivers  would  range  themselves  on 
each  side  of  the  team,  and  whoop,  and  cut,  and  slash, 
until  we  got  through  town.  All  the  people  in  the  vil- 


14. 


210  HOW  I  KNOW. 

lage  would  run  to  their  doors,  and  stand  in  groups 
through  the  streets,  watching  the  fun.  Sometimes  a 
chain  would  break;  it  was  sure  to  break  when  the 
wagon  was  in  the  worst  place.  Then  we  would  put 
on  more  cattle,  sometimes  we  would  have  twenty 
yoke  of  cattle  to  one  wagon;  and,  by  this  time,  if  it 
was  in  town,  the  whole  population  would  be  gathered 
around,  looking  at  the  team  and  wagon,  and  laughing 
and  passing  remarks,  not  the  most  complimentary. 
We  would  then  try  again,  all  hands  assisting,  by  push- 
ing the  wagon,  and  endeavoring  to  roll  the  wheels. 
Everybody  not  engaged  in  whipping  the  cattle  or  push- 
ing the  wagon,  would  assist  by  shaking  their  hats,  and 
yelling  at  the  top  of  their  voices;  and  the  poor  cattle 
would  by  this  time  be  so  terribly  frightened,  that, 
if  a  chain  did  not  break,  they  were  sure  to  run 
out  with  the  wagon.  In  a  scene  ot  this  kind,  the 
drivers  were  very  apt,  accidently  of  course,  to  let 
some  of  the  bystanders  feel  the  weight  of  their  whips, 
which  action  always  added  not  a  little  to  the  confusion 
ol  the  moment.  I  was  very  Villing  at  such  times  to 
give  up  my  whip,  and  go  back  in  the  mud  and  water, 
and  push,  for,  had  I  tried  to  use  the  whip,  no  one  else 
could  have  come  near  the  same  side  of  the  cattle. 
Neither  was  I  safe  from  a  whip  in  my  own  hands. 

I  remember,  the  second  day  of  March,  w^e  had  got 
to  Parley  Alfred's  place,  in  San  Pete  County,  Utah.  There 
we  stuck  in  the  mud  about  noon.  We  worked  until 
twelve  at  night,  whipping  and  slashing,  until  there 
were,  I  know,  as  many  as  three  hundred  people  around, 


STOCK- BROKER   AND   FREIGHTER.  211 

pulling  and  pushing,  and  helping  us  through  a  mud 
hole  that  was  not  over  three  hundred  feet  across. 
Here  I  fared  roughly,  for,  in  the  early  part  of  the  after- 
noon, I  had  gone  in  among  the  cattle  to  fix  a  chain, 
when  one  of  them  kicked  me,  knocking  me  down  in  the 
mud,  with  which  I  was  completely  covered,  and,  while 
I  was  trying  to  get  out,  he  struck  me  another  lick, 
knocking  me  back  against  the  off-pointer.  He  was 
an  ugly  brute.  He  made  a  pass  at  me  with  his  long 
horns,  but  I  was  so  close  to  him  that  he  only  struck 
me  with  the  side  of  them.  He  knocked  me  clean  out 
of  time,  however.  I  landed,  not  as  one  usually  sits 
down,  but  on  the  flat  of  my  back  in  the  mud.  Then 
and  'there  I  swore  vengeance  upon  that  ox.  To  find 
myself  crawling  out  of  the  mud  in  this  pitiable  plight, 
looking  more  like  a  hog  that  had  just  been  wallowing 
in  the  mire  than  the  well-dressed  city  lad  I  had  been 
but  a  few  days  before,  was  more  than  human  nature 
could  endure.  I  rebelled.  If  I  could  have  had  my 
money  back  that  I  had  already  invested,  I  would 
have  given  up  the  freighting  business  on  the  spot,  and 
would  never  have  tried  to  drive  another  ox.  But  I 
was  like  other  men  often  have  been,  and  will  continue 
to  be;  I  had  got  my  foot  into  the  mud,  and  must  either 
push  through  or  stick  fast. 

We  got  back  to  Manti  on  the  night  of  the  fifth  of 
March.  The  roads  had  been  muddy  all  the  way. 
Here  we  remained  for  two  days,  buying  up  more  cattle, 
to  fill  out  our  teams.  We  also  filled  out  our  loads, 
making  ten  thousand  pounds  of  freight  to  the  team. 


212  HOW  I  KNOW. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighth,  we  had  everything  in 
readiness,  including  beds,  clothing,  guns,  provisions  for 
two  months,  and  a  cooking  outfit.  The  .  roads  were 
(heavy,  and  we  made  but  a  short  drive  the  first  day. 

We  were  now  on  the  road  for  San  Juan,  Colorado. 
We  intended  to  follow  the  old  road  that  Captain  Gunni- 
son  took  his  soldiers  over  in  1855.  It  had  never  been 
traveled  over  since.  It  will  be  my  endeavor  to  describe 
the  route,  as  I  go  along,  the  best  I  can.  I  think  that  I 
have  had  a  better  opportunity  to  view  that  section  of 
country  than  any  white  ma-n  that  ever  was  there 
before  me. 

Our  train  was  arranged  as  follows:  William  John- 
son Black,  of  Manti,  drove  the  lead  team.  I  was 
second.  George  B.  Kelly,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  next; 
William  Stringan,  of  Manti,  fourth;  Albert  Stevens,  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  next;  Charley  Manser,  next;  Neals 
Mortison,  of  Salina,  Utah,  next;  and  one  of  the  young 
Taylors,  of  Utah,  last.  Each  one  had  his  regular  duty 
assigned  to  him.  Charley  Manser  did  the  cooking.  I 
attended  to  the  cattle  when  unyoked;  saw  that  they 
got  water,  and  were  put  on  feed  for  the  night,  when  I 
could  find  any.  Then  Dave  Mortison  took  them  off  of 
my  hands,  and  herded  them  until  morning.  Dave 
herded  at  night,  and  slept  in  the  day-time  in  one  of  the 
wagons.  In  the  morning  I  would  saddle  the  horse  I  used, 
and  go  and  help  to  round  up  the  cattle,  and  drive  them 
to  camp,  preparatory  to  yoking.  The  others  attended 
to  getting  wood,  water,  greasing  wagons,  and  other 
things  that  were  necessary.  Mr.  Hess  was  the  "  boss," 


STOCK- BROKER   AND   FREIGHTER. 


213 


or  had  charge  of  the  outfit,  and  as  he  had  been  over 
the  road,  or  part  of  it  at  least,  he  was  supposed  to 
know  more  about  it  than  the  balance  of  us.  I  had 
never  been  east  of  Salina  through  the  country,  and  it 
was  all  new  to  me. 

The  first  night  we  camped  at  Six  Mile  Creek,  and 
the  next  on  the  bend  of  the  Sevier  River,  Wasatch 
Mountains.  The  third  night  we  reached  Salina;  this 
is  the  last  settle-  'C^  Bi6iF=, 

ment  we  will  pass 
through  in  Utah. 
Salina  is  a  small 
place,  only  a  few 
Mormon  families 
living  there.  There 
were  at  one  time 
nearly  one  hundred 
families  there,  but 
they  were  fright- 
ened away, or  killed 
by  the  Indians.  Sa- 
lina is  in  a  very 
nice  location,  at  the 
foot  of  the  Wasatch  range.  On  the  south  is  an  elbow 
of  the  range,  that  shuts  off  all  view  from  town  in 
that  direction;  on  the  east  is  the  main  range;  while, 
about  one-half  mile  to  the  west  of  town,  is  the  Sevier 
River,  which  runs  into  Sevier  Lake,  and  then  dis- 
appears. 

Salina   Creek  runs   through  the  town    in  irrigating 


SEVIER   RIVER,  WASATCH   MOUNTAINS. 


214  HOW  I  KNOW. 

ditches.  We  found  a  great  many  of  the  houses  de- 
serted, and  falling  down.  There  was  an  old  stone 
fort  near  the  center  of  town,  at  this  time  used  for  a 
corral.  There  is  a  post-office  and  one  small  co-oper- 
ative store.  The  houses  are  well  made  of  adobes, 
with  dirt  roofs.  The  place  presents  a  gloomy  and 
dismal  appearance.  The  land  all  around  this  place  is 
sandy,  and  better  adapted  to  raising  potatoes  than 
anything  else.  Children  do  well  here,  I  suppose,  for 
they  are  very  numerous. 

From  this  place  we  go  into  Salina  Canon,  and 
follow  it  to  its  head,  which  is  the  summit  of  the  Wa- 
satch  range,  for  we  are  now  wanting  to  get  to  Castle 
Valley.  Six  miles  before  we  get  to  the  summit,  the 
canon  wridens  out  and  rolls  gradually  away  on  each 
side,  for  two  miles  or  more,  thus  forming  a  small 
valley.  In  front  the  range  becomes  more  steep.  We 
find  a  small  stream  of  water  running  through  this  park, 
and  a  small  cabin  built  of  quaking  asps.  This  is  used 
as  a  shelter  and  camping-house,  by  Mr.  Jennings'  herd- 
ers. Mr.  Jennings,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  has  taken  up  and 
located  land  here,  and  has  had  others  to  locate  lands 
for  him,  until  he  claims  here  a  large  stock  ranch.  He 
has  hundreds  of  cattle  here  running  wild,  including  all 
ages  from  sucking  calves  to  old,  full-grown  animals, 
and  they  are  scattered  all  over  the  country.  We  found 
two  young  men  here  herding  for  Mr.  Jennings. 

Here  we  came  to  snow,  the  first  we  had  seen  on 
the  way.  It  was  six  miles  to  the  top  of  the  range,  and 
about  the  same  distance  down  the  other  side  out  of 


STOCK-BROKER   AND   FREIGHTER.  215 

the  snow.  The  ground  was  very  muddy  underneath, 
where  it  was  not  rocky.  In  some  places  the  snow  was 
fifteen  feet  deep.  We  had  to  shovel  a  road  through 
the  snow.  Our  hands  got  wet  and  soft,  and  blistered 
all  over  the  palms.  We  were  compelled  to  wade 
through  snow  and  mud  all  day  long.  None  of  us 
expected  such  obstructions  on  the  way.  It  was  a 
terrible  undertaking  to  work  our  way  over.  We  took 


HERDERS'  CAMPING  HOUSE. 

up  one  wagon  at  a  time,  and  the  rest  of  the  party,  not 
needed  in  keeping  the  wagons  up,  were  continually 
shoveling  snow.  Our  faces  were  all  burned  to  a 
blister,  and  our  eyes  presented  a  frightful  appearance. 
There  was  but  little  feed  for  our  cattle,  as  the  herded 
droves  had  consumed  all  there  was  in  that  region.  We 
kept  teams  hauling  hay  from  the  settlements  by  con- 
tract, until  we  passed  the  summit.  Mr.  Jennings  had  a 
large  corral  in  the  park,  to  which  we  drove  our  cattle 


216  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

after  the  day's  work  was  done,  and  fed  them  upon 
the  hay.  In  this  way,  for  five  long,  hard  weeks,  we 
labored  to  reach  the  summit,  Then  commenced 
another  task  of  getting  down,  for  the  snow  was  as 
deep  on  one  side  as  on  the  other.  But,  on  the  west 
side,  the  mountain  was  very  steep.  We  rough-locked 
all  the  wheels,  then  cut  pine  trees,  and  chained  them 
by  the  top  to  the  hind  end  of  the  wagon.  We  used  a 
single  yoke  of  heavy-wheel  oxen  to  guide  and  keep 
the  tongue  straight  in  the  road. 

Allow  just  a  word  of  advice  to  any  who  may  be 
contemplating  traveling  over  that  road.  Go  on  horse- 
back. Take  pack  animals  and  plenty  of  provisions, 
and  not  too  much  baggage.  You  will  not  go  far 
before  you  find  baggage  a  great  nuisance,  and  wish 
you  were  rid  of  it.  Take  but  few  dishes  in  your 
cooking  outfit,  as  they  are  a  nuisance.  You  will  soon 
learn  that  the  fewer  dishes  you  have,  the  fewer  you 
will  need  to  wash,  and,  if  they  are  no  women  in  the 
party,  you  will  find  dish-washing  a  burden.  It  is  im- 
possible to  keep  warm  in  camp,  on  the  summit  of  the 
Wasatch  in  March.  The  wind  is  continually  blowing, 
and  the  snow  flying  and  drifting,  so  that  you  can 
not  see,  and  can  scarcely  stand. 

Around  our  meals  we  would  console  ourselves  with 
the  thought  that  we  must  expect  the  bitter  with  the 
sweet.  But  before  we  get  through  with  shoveling 
snow,  pushing  wagons,  thrashing  cattle,  and  climbing 
up  and  down  that  mountain,  we  concluded  that  we 
were  getting  far  more  than  our  share  of  the  bitter. 


STOCK-BROKER   AND  FREIGHTER. 


217 


The  clouds  had  hung  low  and  black  nearly  all  the  time 
we  had  been  crossing  the  range.  Enough  snow  kept 
falling  to  make  matters  still  more  uncomfortable.  We 
were  six  weeks  making  thirteen  miles,  and  we  worked 
every  day,  Sunday  not  excepted.  This  was  less  than 
one-third  of  a  mile  a  day.  Our  cattle  were  nearly  starved. 


SHOSHONEE    INDIANS    IN    THE    SEVIER    VALLEY. 

They  were  fat  when  we  started,  and  already  they  were 
reduced  to  skeletons.  Complimentary  remarks  would 
often  be  passed  about  the  thinnest  ones,  such  as  propos, 
als  to  tie  knots  in  their  tails,  to  keep  them  from  running 
through  the  bows  of  the  yoke.  From  Gilson's  ranch 


218  HOW  I  KNOW. 

it  was  difficult  to  realize  that  we  were  in  a  straight 
line,  only  twenty  miles  from  Salina.  But  such  was 
the  case.  After  passing  over  the  summit  and  coming 
to  Gilson's,  we  saw  rolling  country  ahead  of  us,  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach.  Upon  inquiry,  I  learned  that 
we  would  not  go  on  in  that  direction,  however,  but 
would  turn  to  the  left  as  soon  as  we  reached  the  valley 
still  lower  down.  There  was  little  snow  here,  conse- 
quently the  cattle  got  plenty  to  eat.  Here  was  a 
splendid  stream  of  water  also.  We  moved  on  down 
the  canon  to  Ivy  Creek,  and  were  then  sixty-seven 
miles  from  Manti.  The  country  is  very  dreary,  and  is 
uninhabited,  except  by  straggling  bands  of  half-starved 
Shoshonee  Indians.  It  is  very  seldom  that  a  white 
man  visits  this  section.  In  the  following  chapter  I  will 
speak  further  of  our  experiences  on  this  journey. 


IN  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET.  219 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

IN  GREEN   RIVER  VALLEY. 

WE  reached  Green  River  the  eighth  day  of  May, 
having  been  exactly  two  months  on  the  road. 
We  had  now  passed  through  Castle  Valley,  so  named 
from  the  numerous  castle  rocks  that  can  be  seen  in  all 
directions.  Hundreds  of  rocks  can  be  seen  rearing 
their  heads  in  dome-like  or  spiral  shape,  high  above 
the  mountains  that  encompass  the  valley.  There  is 
no  one  living  in  this  valley.  Not  a  house  is  to 
be  seen  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  of  Green 
River.  White  men  are  seldom  seen  here.  There  were 
two  brothers,  white  men,  living  on  Grand  River,  of 
whom  I  will  speak  again  later.  They  were  killed  while 
we  were  on  Green  River.  With  their  exception,  we 
were  the  only  white  men  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
There  are  a  great  many  little  streams  running  across 
Castle  Valley  into  Green  River.  Ivies  Creek  has  clear, 
good  water.  The  next  is  Salaratus  Creek,  seven  miles 
from  Ivies  Creek.  The  water  in  this  is  not  fit  for  man 
or  beast  to  drink;  it  is  so  strong  of  alkali.  The  next 
is  Convulsion  Creek,  eight  miles  further  up.  This  is  a 
dangerous  stream,  narrow,  with  high  banks.  The 
water  runs  with  a  very  swift  current. 

The    next    stream    is   the    Quickapaw,    two    miles 
further  on.     This  water,  like  that  of  Convulsion  Creek, 


220  HOW  I  KNOW. 

is  not  good.  The  next  is  the  Muddy,  a  very  dangerous 
stream  of  muddy  water,  and  where  we  crossed  with  a 
quick-sand  bottom.  We  had  to  strain  the  sand  and 
mud  out  of  the  water,  and  then  allow  it  to  settle  before 
we  could  drink  it.  This  is  brackish  also.  From  the 
Muddy  to  the  Ferrons  is  nine  miles.  This  stream  is 
of  clear,  brackish  water,  between  high  banks.  From  the 
Ferrons  to  the  Cottonwood  is  ten  miles.  From  the  Cot- 
tonwood  to  Huntington  Creek  is  three  miles.  Hunt- 
ington  Creek  is  of  fresh  water,  and  is  a  pretty  stream, 
with  high  banks  and  gravelly  bottom.  We  turned  to 
the  right  at  Huntington  Creek,  and  went  on  past  the 
Rock  Wells.  The  first  wells  are  eleven,  and  the 
second  fifteen  miles  from  Huntington  Creek.  From 
this  point  to  the  Green  River  is  thirty-five  miles.  It  is 
one  hundred  and  sixty-four  miles  to  the  settlements. 

Castle  Valley  includes  an  area  of  several  thousand 
acres,  but  it  is  not  very  valuable  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses. There  is  some  little  grass,  but  it  is  nearly  all 
alkali  grass.  The  soil  is  full  of  sand  and  fine  gravel. 
The  mountains  on  either  side  (until  we  get  near  Green 
River),  are  of  sand  and  sand  rock.  There  are  large 
bowlders  and  fragments  of  sand  rock  scattered  over 
the  lower  end  of  the  valley.  Hundreds  of  sand  buttes 
are  to  be  seen  scattered  about  here  and  there.  Time, 
the  rains  and  the  wind  have  crumbled  and  washed 
down  their  sides,  until  they  stand  up  like  tall  pyramids, 
hundreds  of  feet  in  height.  We  could  climb  to  the  top 
of  some  of  them  by  a  very  easy  and  safe  ascent. 
Others  are  so  perpendicular  that  the  top  cannot  be 


IN  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET.  221 

reached  without  the  aid  of  some  mechanical  contrivance. 
From  some  of  these  giant  points  of  sand  rock,  we  could 
look  out  over  the  many  lower  buttes  standing  in  the  valley. 
The  place  appeared  very  much  as  if  you  were  standing  in 
the  center  of  the  plain,  overlooking  an  immense  ruin. 

Rock  Wells  are  well  named  from  the  place  in  which 
they  are  located.  They  are  not  wells  of  water  fed 
from  below  the  ground;  they  are  merely  holes  in  the 
naked,  black  rock,  which  is  found  here  without  dirt 
enough  on  a  square  mile  of  it  to  cover  a  bushel  of 
potatoes.  It  is  a  large,  bare  plain  of  smooth  rock, 
dipping  in  all  directions  up  and  down.  There  are 
holes  in  these  rocks,  from  one  foot  to  hundreds  of  feet 
in  depth.  It  sometimes  rains  very  hard  here,  and  these 
holes  are  then  filled  with  water.  When  we  passed 
through,  we  suffered  very  much  for  want  of  good  water. 
What  we  got  from  these  holes  had  to  be  strained,  and 
then  boiled,  before  we  could  use  it.  It  was  full  of  little 
animals,  from  the  minutest  size  up  to  as  large  as  a  man's 
thumb.  After  we  strained  the  water,  we  had  a  larger 
pile  of  these  than  there  was  bulk  of  water.  The 
cattle  fared  worse  than  we  did.  We  watered  them 
from  buckets,  and  then  turned  them  loose,  to  hunt  over 
the  mountains  for  what  feed  they  could  find  growing 
out  of  the  crevices  in  the  rocks,  wrhich  was  so  very 
little  that  they  almost  starved. 

Going  down  this  mountain,  we  traveled  for  miles 
over  the  solid  bed  rock.  Sometimes  we  would  have 
all  the  wheels  of  the  wagons  locked.  Then  we  would 
go  for  a  little  distance  with  the  locks  all  off,  and  then 


222  HOW  I  KNOW. 

again  would  be  compelled  to  double  up  the  teams  for 
a  hard  pull.  After  we  got  over  this,  we  came  to  an 
alkali  sand  plain.  The  alkali  is  so  thick  that  it  looks 
like  snow.  This  is  a  wretched  place  through  which  to 
travel.  The  sand  is  so  loose  that  the  wagons  cut 
down  to  the  axles  all  the  time.  The  dry  alkali  flying 
in  the  air  soon  blinds  both  man  and  beast.  We  were 
white  with  dust.  Our  flesh  burned  and  smarted  with 
an  itching  and  pain.  Of  all  the  alkali  plains  in  the 
West,  this  is  the  worst  I  ever  traveled  over. 

When  we  reached  Green  River,  we  found  a  most 
beautiful  valley.  It  was  so  different  from  any  thing  I  had 
ever  seen,  that  I  pronounced  it  at  first  sight  one  of 
the  prettiest  places  in  the  West.  Beautiful  grass  was 
waving  on  the  river  bottoms,  and  the  trees  were  all  out 
in  leaf  and  bloom.  Green  River  Valley  is  narrow  at  the 
point  where  we  entered  it.  The  river  runs  crosswise 
of  the  first  bench  lands.  The  bottom  lands  are  a  half 
mile  in  width.  On  either  side  of  the  bench  lands,  the 
river  runs  through  canons,  with  rugged,  rough  mount- 
ains on  either  side,  towering  up  higher  than  the  timber 
line.  The  canon  is  here  separated  by  a  valley  eight 
miles  in  width,  so  that  the  length  of  Green  River  Valley 
is  the  width  of  Salaratus  Valley,  the  valleys  crossing 
each  other.  Green  River  Valley  is  ninety  feet  lower 
than  Salaratus  Valley. 

When  we  reached  the  river,  it  was  so  high  we 
could  not  ford  it.  We  tried  a  raft,  but  failed  to  get 
over  in  this  way,  as  the  swift,  running  current  would 
sweep  a  heavy  log  raft  into  the  canon  below.  The  river 


IN  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET.  223 

was  eight  hundred  feet  wide  between  the  banks,  which 
are  high  and  undermined  in  many  places  with  the 
water.  They  are  on  this  account  continually  falling  in 
here  and  there,  making  a  terrible  noise  that  can  be 


CAMP    IN    GREEN    RIVER    VALLEY. 

heard  a  long  distance.  After  we  tried  to  cross  by  a  raft 
and  failed,  we  had  to  send  a  man  on  horseback  back  to 
Manti  for  a  boat,  and  the  rest  of  us  remained  to  guard 


224  HOW  I  KNOW. 

the  train  and  herd  the  cattle.  I  passed  away  part  of 
the  time  in  hunting  up  and  down  the  river.  We  had 
a  beautiful  place  for  our  camp.  This  was  the  first 
perfect  camping  place  we  had  found.  There  were 
beautiful  groves  of  large  cotton-wood  trees  along  the 
river  bottom,  furnishing  plenty  of  wood  for  fires;  no 
mud,  some  sand,  abundance  of  grass  for  our  cattle, 
and  plenty  of  fish  and  game.  This  abundance  of  good 
things  was  enough  to  repay  us  for  much  of  the  hard- 
ship thus  far  encountered.  There  were  some  in  the 
party  who  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  the  beautiful. 
They  might  travel  all  over  the  country,  and  see  all  its 
beauties,  and  after  all  would  pick  out  a  well-filled  cup- 
board as  the  prettiest  sight  they  ever  met  with.  They 
never  could  understand  how  anything  was  to  be  gained 
by  such  a  journey  as  this,  though  through  such  grand  and 
beautiful  scenery.  Their  idea  of  traveling  would  be  to 
follow  the  valley  roads,  and  feast  with  their  Mormon 
brothers  over  night. 

We  had  all  started  out  with  bright  anticipations  of  a 
two  months'  trip.  We  had  now  been  over  two  months 
out,  and  were  not  yet  across  the  first  river,  and  there 
were  several  wide  rivers  yet  to  cross.  But  there  we  were, 
and  I  determined  to  get  all  the  enjoyment  possible  out 
of  this  journey.  I  was  very  thankful  to  be  out  of  the 
cold  and  chilly  storms  of  the  Wasatch.  The  skies 
were  blue,  and  the  days  were  as  warm  as  in  summer. 

After  having  rested  a  day  or  two,  I  concluded  to 
go  up  the  river  to  the  canon,  about  five  miles  distant. 
So  taking  my  gun,  I  started  early  in  the  morning. 


IN  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET. 


225 


Near  the  river  were  patches  of  brush,  so  thick  that  it 
was  impossible  to  pass  through.  In  addition  to  the  brush 
were  numerous 
sloughs  full  of  water, 
some  of  them  deep. 
These  sloughs  were 
covered  with  ducks 
and  geese,  which 
would  fly  f  r  o  m 
one  side  to  the  other 
as  I  approached  near 
them.  I  saw  deer 
and  antelope  feeding 
in  large  numbers. 
They  would  bound 
away  upon  my  ap- 
proach. I  went  back 
f  a  r  t  h  e  r  from  the 
river,  and  got  upon 
higher  ground,  out 
of  the  brush.  There 
I  found  the  ground 
cut  up  with  deep  gul- 
lies. After  traveling 
a  number  of  miles, 
I  came  to  the  mouth 
of  the  canon.  I  found 

it  narrow,  with  Steep         NIGHT  SCENE  IN  GREEN  RIVER  CANOX. 

and  rugged  mountains  on  either  side  of  the  river,  which  is 
very  narrow,  and  runs  with  a  much  swifter  current  here. 

is 


226  HOW  I  KNOW. 

I  concluded,  as  it  was  yet  early,  to  climb  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain,  and  take  a  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  I  found  this  a  difficult  undertaking.  I  would 
climb  awhile,  and  then  rest.  I  could  look  back  and  see 
the  river  twisting  along  in  its  course  to  the  canon  below, 
there  to  be  lost  sight  of  in  another  range  ol  mountains, 
separate  from  the  one  I  was  then  climbing.  This  is  an 
uninhabited  region,  and  has  never  been  marred  by  the 
hand  of  civilization.  The  members  of  our  party  are 
the  only  white  men  on  the  river.  Flowers  of  the 
richest  hues,  and  of  endless  variety  adorned  as  with  a 
robe  of  beauty  the  extended  valley  below,  while  the 
distant  green  groves,  dotting  the  banks  of  the  river 
here  and  there  before  me,  appeared  like  emerald  isles 
floating  in  a  sea  of  glory.  I  could  but  gaze  with  rapture 
upon  the  magnificent  scenes,  the  beauties  and  sublim- 
ities of  nature  as  they  lay  unrolled  before  me.  I  was 
far  above  the  valleys  on  either  side  of  the  river,  and 
could  see  far  out  in  the  direction  we  desired  to  go. 

I  kept  climbing  higher  and  higher  until  I  wondered 
if  I  would  ever  reach  the  top.  I  would  sometimes 
come  up  plump  against  the  steep  sides  of  a  ledge. 
Then  I  would  have  to  meander  up  and  down,'  and 
around,  to  get  to  the  top  of  that,  and  there,  most  likely, 
come  up  against  another  one.  I  saw  numbers  of 
mountain  sheep,  and  shot  one  of  them.  These  sheep 
are  as  noble-looking  and  as  pretty  a  wild  animal  as  I 
ever  saw.  They  are  harmless.  I  have  been  told  that 
they  will  jump  off  of  precipices,  and  strike  on  their 
heads,  on  the  rocks  below,  and  then  go  bounding  off 


IN  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET.  227 

from  danger.  This  may  be  true,  but  I  never  saw  them 
going  through  such  any  unpleasant  performances.  The 
sheep  are  natives  of  i#cky  places,  so  I  think  this 
locality  exactly  suited  to  them.  Their  horns  are  at  the 
largest  part  six  inches  in  diameter,  are  tapering  and 
curved,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches  in  length. 

I  found  the  mountain  barren  of  vegetation,  and  with 
many  deep  wash-outs.  The  canon  was  very  deep  and 
narrow,  as  far  as  I  could  see.  When  I  returned  to 
camp  I  carried  with  me  a  quarter  of  the  sheep  I  had 
killed.  I  was  tired  and  hungry  when  I  got  into  camp, 
but  plenty  of  fish,  bread  and  venison  had  been  pre- 
pared in  good  style,  and  I  was  soon  seated  on  the  front 
end  of  the  wagon,  feasting  as  sumptuously  as  a  king. 

Beaver  and  otter  are  very  numerous  at  this  place. 
Dozens  of  them  could  be  seen  in  the  evening  carrying 
sticks  to  form  their  houses  or  dams,  or  swimming  in 
the  water,  or  climbing  up  the  steep  banks.  All  along 
the  river  where  there  are  little  groves  of  trees,  the 
marks  of  their  cuttings  can  be  seen.  Trees  over  one 
foot  across  have  been  cut  down  with  their  teeth.  I  have 
seen  as  many  as  three,  all  cutting  on  the  same  tree. 
They  are  very  cautious  and  cunning.  The  least  noise 
will  drive  them  to  the  water,  to  be  seen  no  more  for 
hours.  They  have  their  trails  from  the  water  to  their 
cuttings.  Their  slides  in  places  are  worn  down  several 
feet  in  depth,  on  the  edge  of  steep  banks.  When  the 
beaver  travels  on  land,  his  trowel-shaped  tail  is  so 
heavy  that  it  drags  the  ground,  like  a  board  dragged 
along  by  one  end.  When  swimming  along  in  the  water, 


228  HOW  I  KNOW. 

the  least  motion  or  noise  will  cause  them  to  dive  sud- 
denly, striking  the  water  at  the  same  time  with  their 
^flat  tails,  making  a  noise  similar  to  striking  on  the  water 
'with  a  long  paddle.  At  night  they  keep  up  a  noise  the 
whole  time,  fighting,  squealing  and  slapping  the  water 
with  their  tails.  They  are  sixty  pounds  and  upward  in 
weight.  They  are  easily  trapped,  if  the  trapper  under- 
stands his  business,  but  unless  he  does  know  how  to  go 
about  it  he  will  not  catch  any  except  by  accident.  It  is 
interesting  and  amusing  to  watch  three  or  four  beavers 
cutting  down  a  tree.  They  sit  down,  and  twist  their 
heads  a  little  sidewise,  and  then  with  their  broad,  chisel- 
like  teeth,  they  cut  deep  into  the  wood  at  every  bite. 
They  cut  round  and  round,  equally  on  all  sides.  In 
many  places  in  the  West,  beavers  are  very  numerous, 
but  a  great  many  are  caught  every  season.  Their 
houses  are  generally  formed  by  burrowing  in  under 
the  deep  banks,  and  then  filling  up  in  front  with  huge 
piles  of  weeds,  mud  and  sticks. 

Here,  on  Green  River,  is  the  worst  place  for  snakes  I 
know  of.  I  did  not  see  them  corded  up  in  piles,  as 
large  as  some  people  write  about,  and  scores  of  feet  in 
length,  but  for  numbers  and  varieties  this  locality  can 
not  be  surpassed.  Often  when  one  is  not  thinking  of 
them,  they  frighten  him  terribly  by  crawling  up 
against  him.  I  am  not  afraid  of  a  snake,  but  then  I  do 
not  like  to  be  social  with  them. 

The  snakes  live  in  colonies  on  Green  River.  I  have 
seen  them  crawling  in  every  direction  at  the  same  time. 
Some  of  them  are  very  large,  as  much  as  seven  feet 


IJ\r  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET.  229 

long.  Rattlesnakes  are  numerous,  and  of  all  sizes, 
from  tiny  ones  up  to  three  and  one-half  feet  in  length. 
Some  of  these  have  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  I  killed 
one  three  feet  long,  that  had  twenty-two  rattles, 
and  a  button  on  the  end  of  his  tail,  so  that  if  I  am 
informed  correctly,  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age. 
It  is  said  that  a  rattlesnake  has  a  button  on  the  end  of 
his  tail  the  first  year,  and  for  every  succeeding  year 
a  rattle.  I  think  this  is  correct. 

When  we  would  start  out  to  look  after  the  cattle, 
we  would  cut  a  good,  heavy  club  before  we  went  far, 
with  which  to  kill  snakes.  I  remember  that  one  morn- 
ing I  was  out  looking  up  the  cattle.  I  had  a  desire  to 
climb  to  the  top  of  one  of  the  rocky  buttes.  I  had 
not  gone  far  up  the  hill-side  when  I  could  see  snakes 
lying  coiled  up,  or  stretched  out  in  every  shape,  sun- 
ning themselves  on  and  among  the  rocks.  I  think 
these  were  all  rattlesnakes.  I  had  not  yet  come 
close  enough  to  arouse  them,  for  I  saw  them  before 
they  began  to  rattle.  I  counted  over  twenty,  without 
moving  from  where  I  stood.  I  moved  on  toward 
them,  keeping  a  careful  watch  at  my  feet.  They  were 
soon  aroused,  and,  coiling  themselves  up,  there  was 
immediately  a  great  rattling  along  the  lines  on  both 
sides  of  me.  Their  eyes  were  glittering,  and  their 
forked  tongues  protruding,  and  every  one  warning  me 
that  I  was  then  trespassing  on  forbidden  ground.  They 
seemed  to  be  more  numerous  on  this  slope  than  I  had 
ever  before  seen  in  any  mountain  country.  In  Rattlesnake 
Gulch,  California,  there  are  thousands  of  them,  but  this 


230 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


Green  River  slope  leads  in  snakes.  I  retreated  and  left 
them  in  possession  of  their  stronghold.  This  was  but  a 
small,  rocky  knoll  or  knob,  rising  about  two  hundred 
feet  above  the  plain,  and  covering  perhaps,  two  acres. 
There  must  be  thousands  of  snakes  there.  On  the 

river  bottom,  a 
long,  yellow-spotted 
snake  is  found  in 
great  numbers.  This 
species  can  run  like 
a  racer.  These  are 
called  bull-snakes,  I 
believe. 

At  another  time 
I  had  occasion  to  go 
to  the  top  of  one  of 
the  peaks ;  for,  if 
cattle  are  not  in 
sight  while  you  are 
standing  on  the  plain, 
they  may  often  be 
seen  from  some  ele- 
vation, feeding  in  the 
distance.  I  was  sit- 
ting on  one  of  these 
high  points  one  morning,  early.  From  this  position 
I  could  look  to  the  east,  and  at  the  foot  of  the 
butte  running  east,  was  a  deep  depression.  The 
butte  had  been  rather  difficult  to  climb,  and  I  was 
halting  a  little  to  rest  my  lungs,  as  a  person  finds 


PEAK    IN    GREEN    RIVER    VALLEY. 


IN  GREEN  RIVER   VALLET.  231 

some  difficulty  in  breathing,  when  climbing  one  of  these 
high  peaks  here  in  the  mountains.  This,  however,  was 
a  high  peak  in  the  valley  between  the  mountains.  I 
could  hear  the  distant  howl  of  wolves  in  various  direc- 
tions. I  noticed  that  they  seemed  to  get  nearer,  and 
more  numerous.  They  soon  were  howling  all  around 
me.  I  wondered  what  was  up.  Soon  a  number  of 
them  came  in  sight.  I  now  saw  what  was  the  matter. 
They  had  started  a  deer,  and  were  chasing  it  down.  It 
was  out-running  the  wolves,  but  there  were  too  many 
closing  in  on  all  sides.  They  were  at  the  far  end  of 
the  basin  from  me,  but  I  could  see  the  chase  very 
plain.  The  wolves  took  turns,  running  and  heading  off 
the  deer,  until  they  finally  succeeded  in  capturing  it, 
when  they  became  so  eager  after  the  poor  thing's  car- 
cass, that  I  could  hear  their  teeth  snapping  together 
two  hundred  yards  away.  There  were  twenty  wolves 
taking  part  in  the  feast. 

When  a  hunter,  wounds  a  deer,  and,  darkness  coming 
on  stops  the  chase  for  the  night,  should  it  be  renewed 
next  morning,  he  will  often  find  where  the  deer  has 
been  caught  and  devoured  by  wolves.  They  can  scent 
blood  or  fresh  meat  a  long  distance  away.  When 
chasing  game,  their  howling  is  very  different  from  that 
at  other  times,  and  is  of  such  a  nature  that  they 
apparently  all  understand  what  is  going  on,  for  they 
seem  to  come  running  together  immediately,  and  to 
form  themselves  into  a  circle.  Once,  later,  when  I  was 
in  the  Dolores  country  of  Colorado,  I  remember  seeing 
them  chasing  a  jack-rabbit.  They  would  take  turns 


232  HOW  I  KNOW. 

running.  A  single  wolf  would  not  run  far  at  any  one 
time  before  he  would  be  relieved  by  a  fresh  animal. 
And  so  among  all  these  varied  scenes,  and  amid 
the  varied  scenery,  each  successive  day  brought  with  it 
some  novelty,  and  such  scenes  and  incidents  as  kept 
up  an  unabating  and  lively  interest  in  the  minds  of  our 
party,  until  the  boat  arrived  from  Manti,  which  was  not 
until  the  eleventh  day  of  June. 


VEX  A  TIO  US  DEL  A  TS.  233 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VEXATIOUS  DELAYS. 

r  I  ^HE  boat  having  arrived,  we  began  to  unload,  and 
JL  to  take  the  wagons  to  pieces.  The  boat  was 
small,  only  three  and  one-half  feet  in  width  by  fourteen 
feet  in  length.  It  was  flat-bottomed,  built  of  three- 
quarter  inch  pine  lumber.  With  close  packing  it  would 
carry  twelve  hundred  pounds.  Everything  had  to  be 
adjusted  very  carefully,  or  else  the  boat  would  list 
to  the  heavy  side  and  become  unmanageable.  We  got 
along  very  well,  however,  carrying  over  two  wagons 
and  their  loads  in  a  day.  We  left  the  cattle  until  the 
last.  We  undertook  to  make  them  swim  over  by  tying 
a  rope  around  the  horns  of  one  of  them,  and  attaching 
the  other  end  of  the  rope  to  the  boat,  and  thus  towing 
him  over.  One  of  us  would  row  the  boat,  while  the 
rest  would  drive  the  other  cattle  into  the  water,  and 
then  whoop  and  halloo  until  our  throats  were  sore, 
and  throw  clods  and  sticks  and  stones  at  them,  trying 
to  make  them  follow  across.  The  cattle  would  go  well 
enough  until  they  struck  the  main  current;  then  they 
would  begin  to  "  mill,"  the  current  carrying  them  down 
stream  all  the  time,  until  they  would  finally  strike  back 
for  the  same  side  they  had  started  from.  The  current 
would  beat  them  back  against  the  high  banks,  where 
they  remained  struggling  in  the  water,  scattered  nearly 
all  the  way  down  to  the  canon.  Then  we  would  have 


234  no  w  i  KNO  w. 

to  go  to  work  and  dig  down  the  banks,  so  that  they 
could  get  out. 

In  this  way  we  kept  on  trying,  never  getting  over 
more  than  six  at  any  one  time,  and  often  only  the  one 
that  was  towed  over.  We  were  two  days  getting  all 
the  cattle  over.  Some  of  them,  while  being  towed, 
would  dive  apparently  straight  down,  and  come  up 
almost  under  the  boat.  Towing  the  cattle  across  the 
stream  was  a  dangerous  undertaking,  for  the  little 
boat  was  too  light  to  hold  them,  and  they  could  nearly 
master  the  oarsman.  I  got  out  of  patience,  and  tried 
to  ride  some  of  them  over;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  My 
uncle  and  my  other  companions  kept  advising  me  to 
be  patient.  Patience  is  a  very  good  thing,  and  all  well 
enough;  but  how  any  man  can  have  patience  for  many 
days  while  trying,  as  we  were,  to  swim  cattle  over 
Green  River,  with,  the  mosquitoes  eating  him  up  all  the 
time,  is  more  than  I  can  tell. 

We  had  everything  safely  over  by  the  23d  of  June. 
We  were  very  busy  all  that  day  fixing  things  in  read- 
iness for  moving  on  the  next  morning.  But  during 
the  night  a  grizzly  got  down  among  the  cattle  where 
the  herder  was  tending  them  on  the  river  bottom,  and 
frightened  them  off  in  all  directions.  Two  yoke  jumped 
into  the  river,  and  crossed  back  to  the  other  side  again. 
We  could  not  see  them,  but  could  hear  them  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  splashing  in  the  water,  and 
bellowing.  At  this  time,  however,  we  did  not  know 
how  many  had  crossed  over,  but  we  felt  confident  that 
these  were  some  of  our  cattle.  So  we  unloaded  the 


VEX  A  TIO  US  DEL  A  rs.  235 

boat  from  the  wagon,  where  we  had  it  packed  up  to 
haul  to  Grand  River,  and  carried  it  down  to  the  river, 
and  hunted  up  a  lot  of  ropes,  and  some  shovels.  Then 
four  of  us  struck  across  in  the  darkness  for  the  other 
side,  which  we  soon  reached. 

We  felt  sure  that  the  cattle  were  below  where  we 
landed.  The  banks  of  Green  River  are  so  undermined  in 
time  of  high  water  that  there  is  a  constant  caving  in,  and 
a  consequent  splashing  and  eddying  of  the  water,  and  a 
variety  of  noises.  This  seems  to  be  particularly  the 
case  when  you  are  hunting  for  cattle  in  the  darkness 
that  you  know  are  in  the  water  and  needing  assistance, 
and  are  compelled  to  find  them  by  hearing,  instead  of 
seeing.  This  was  our  situation  at  this  time.  I  was 
keeping  down  close  to  the  bank,  while  the  other  boys 
were  keeping  off  considerable  distance  from  the  river. 
The  noise  of  the  rushing  water  often  made  me  think 
there  was  an  ox  where  there  was  none.  I  was  listen- 
ing at  the  different  sounds  intently,  trying  to  discern  the 
cause  of  each.  I  told  my  companions,  if  I  found  the 
oxen  I  would  sing  out.  We  had  waded  through  brush, 
mud,  bogs  and  everything  else  disagreeable,  when  I 
thought  I  heard  one  of  the  cattle.  At  this  point 
the  bank  was  about  six  feet  high,  and  the  willows  and 
brush  were  very  thick.  I  doubt  if  they  can  be  found  as 
thick  at  any  other  point  along  the  river.  Some  of  these 
had  drooped  over  until  their  tops  were  kept  constantly 
in  motion  by  the  agitated  waters,  which  here  had  formed 
a  very  deep,  ugly-looking  place,  as  I  afterwards  saw,  and 
had  run  in  to  a  considerable  distance  under  the  bank.  / 


236  HOW  I  KNOW. 

When  I  cautiously  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  stream 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  great  splashing,  the  whole 
bank  gave  way,  and  in  I  went.  I  did  not  go  to  the 
bottom.  I  began  to  struggle  for  the  bank  as  soon  as  I 
struck  the  water,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  get  my  mouth 
open  began  to  yell  for  the  boys.  The  water  was  car- 
rying me  down  all  the  time.  I  was  badly  frightened. 
I  soon  managed,  however,  to  catch  hold  of  a  long  root 
that  was  being  dangled  about  through  the  water,  and  I 
hung  on  to  this  until  the  boys  came  with  a  rope  and 
fished  me  out. 

The  cattle  were  finally  found,  and  we  tied  them  up 
to  trees,  and  pulled  for  camp.  I  was  too  mad  to  talk  to 
any  one,  and  I  do  believe  that  at  that  time  I  would  not 
have  re-crossed  the  river  for  the  whole  train.  The  next 
morning  we  got  the  cattle  back  from  where  we  had 
tied  them,  and  spent  the  day  in  camp.  But  on  the 
next  day  when  the  herder  brought  the  cattle  to  camp, 
there  were  seven  of  them  missing.  We  thought,  per- 
chance, they  were  in  the  bush,  and  had  been  over- 
looked; so  we  started  out  in  various  directions  to  find 
them.  I  struck  for  the  high  buttes,  so  that  I  could 
look  back  over  the  river.  I  had  an  idea  that  they  had 
re-crossed  and  gone  back.  About  noon  I  returned  to 
camp,  without  any  success. 

I  found  a  part  of  the  other  searchers  in  camp,  but 
no  cattle.  They  were  having  a  big  talk  over  some- 
thing that  William  Stringan  had  seen.  I  made  inquir- 
ies in  regard  to  the  matter,  and  in  reply  heard  a 
rather  curious  story.  It  seemed,  that,  like  the  rest  of 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS.  237 

us,  Mr.  Stringan  had  had  poor  success  in  finding  cattle, 
but  he  had  discovered  a  mysterious-looking  track,  which 
he  had  easily  traced  for  some  distance.  The  track  of 
the  right  foot  was  in  every  particular  like  that  of  an 
ox's  foot,  with  the  foot  stepping  sideways,  pointing  out 
from  the  body,  while  that  of  the  left  foot  was  of  a  human 
barefoot.  I  listened  very  intently  to  his  description  01 
the  track,  and  of  how  he  had  followed  it,  until  it  led  to 
a  certain  thicket  which  he  described,  when  he  was 
afraid  to  proceed  further,  and  had  come  to  camp.  My 
curiosity  was  now  aroused.  I  must  see  that. track,  for 
I  had  never  seen  anything  to  compare  with  it.  So, 
as  soon  as  dinner  was  over,  Hess,  Stringan  and  myself 
started  in  search  of  the  track,  I  wondering  meanwhile 
what  on  earth  it  could  be.  After  wralking  a  consider- 
able distance,  we  reached  the  place  where  Stringan 
had  discovered  the  track,  and,  sure  enough,  there  it 
was,  just  as  he  had  described  it.  It  could  be  seen 
plainly  in  the  sandy  soil;  it  led  from  the  foot-hills  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain  toward  the  river.  Hess 
and  Stringan  followed  the  track  toward  the  river,  while 
I  took  the  back  track,  to  see  where  the  half  cloven- 
footed  "varmint"  had  come  from.  In  the  valley  I 
could  follow  the  track  as  fast  as  I  could  travel.  On 
higher  ground  the  track  disappeared.  In  such  places  I 
would  follow  the  general  course  I  had  been  coming, 
and  every  time  I  found  myself  upon  reaching  the  sand 
again  entirely  off  the  track.  I  thought  this  was  curious; 
that  a  direct  general  course  should  be  followed  through 
the  soft  sand,  but,  as  soon  as  the  hard  earth  was 


238  HOW  I  KNOW. 

reached,  that  then  the  course  should  turn  in  an  entirely 
different  direction.  Before  I  had  been  fooled  very  many 
times,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  this  was  a  very  cunning 
animal,  and  once  or  twice  I  imagined  that  there  might 
be  something  or  some  body  connected  with  the  track, 
foreboding  no  good.  I  followed  the  track  over  hills 
and  through  hollows,  and  across  gulches  and  gullies,  for 
three  miles  or  more,  when  I  came  to  a  place  where 
it  doubled  on  itself ;  then  I  had  the  two  tracks  to  fol- 
low, one  going  and  one  coming.  I  followed  these  a 
short  distance  across  the  bench  land,  and  into  another 
deep  gully,  where  I  found  a  pony  track,  and  near  by 
I  found  where  the  pony  had  been  picketed. 

This  was  convincing  proof  to  me,  satisfactory 
enough  of  what  was  up;  yet  I  thought  it  exceedingly 
strange  that  one  person  should  come  here  in  this  way, 
and  appear  in  such  a  peculiarly  odd  manner.  The 
thought  flashed  through  my  mind  that  something 
unusual  was  going  to  happen,  and  it  might  be  that 
there  were  more  connected  with  this  strange  move- 
ment than  one  single  individual.  What  could  he  want, 
who  could  he  be,  and  why  were  his  feet  so  disguised? 
It  might  be  that  he  had  confederates  in  league  with 
him,  and  that  they  had  run  off  a  part  of  the  cattle 
belonging  to  our  train.  Why  had  they  not  taken  all  ? 
I  could  see  no  tracks  of  the  cattle  here  ;  but  they 
might  have  driven  them  in  some  other  direction.  A 
thousand  questions  suggested  themselves  to  my  mind. 
I  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  must  be  a 
band  of  Indians  in  the  neighborhood,  who  had  got  part 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS.  239 

of  our  cattle,  and  were  running  them  off.  Of  this,  I 
would  soon  assure  myself.  I  struck  for  camp  after  my 
horse.  When  I  arrived  at  camp,  it  was  already  getting 
late  in  the  afternoon,  being  after  four  o'clock,  but  the 
other  boys  had  not  returned. 

My  horse  was  picketed  close  to  camp.  It  was  the 
work  of  a  few  minutes  only  to  throw  on  my  saddle  and 
make  ready,  and  I  was  soon  galloping  out  over  the  bench 
land.  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  find  where  the 
cattle  had  been  driven  out,  if  they  had  been  driven  out 
at  all.  So  I  rode  to  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  care- 
fully noticing  everything,  as  a  man  naturally  would 
when  looking  for  stock  under  such  circumstances.  I 
made  a  circuit  of  the  whole  upper  end  of  the  valley, 
and  convinced  myself  that  the  cattle  had  not  passed  out 
on  the  Colorado  side  of  the  river.  When  I  arrived  in 
camp  again  it  was  dark.  The  company  had  all  gathered 
in,  but  without  finding  the  lost  cattle.  I  was  then  con- 
vinced that  the  cattle  had  crossed  the  river. 

So  early  the  next  morning,  I  saddled  my  horse  and 
rode  down  to  the  river.  Here  I  dismounted,  and  taking 
off  my  clothes,  I  tied  them  and  my  revolver  in  a  bun- 
dle, and  secured  it  to  the  barrel  of  my  rifle.  I  then 
mounted  my  horse  again,  and  started  into  the  river. 
It  was  a  frightful  undertaking,  for  the  river  was  high, 
and  the  current  swift.  At  this  time  it  was  nearly  one- 
half  mile  in  width.  Logs,  brush,  drift-wood  and  whole 
trees  were  sweeping  along  down  the  current,  as 
if  in  a  race.  Our  whole  party  was  at  the  bank  to  see 
me  across.  It  seemed  to  me  at  times  as  if  I  was 


240  HOW  I  KNOW. 

riding  on  my  last  trip.  But  a  horse  is  a  noble  swimmer, 
and  mine  faithfully  carried  me  across  one  of  the  worst 
streams  in  North  America.  I  immediately  struck  back 
on  the  road  we  had  come.  After  going  nearly  a  mile, 
I  discovered  the  trail  of  the  lost  cattle,  and,  after 
riding  fast,  I  caught  up  with  them  at  the  Rock  Wells. 
They  were  all  together.  Here  I  met  one  of  the  Tay- 
lors from  Utah.  He  was  on  his  way  to  the  Green 
brothers,  at  the  old  Mormon  fort,  near  the  junction  of 
Green  and  Grand  Rivers.  We  pushed  the  cattle  back 
at  a  lively  gait,  and  drove  them  across  the  river  without 
much  trouble.  We  stripped  off  our  clothes  and  crossed 
the  river  the  same  way  I  had  crossed  in  the  morning. 
The  next  morning,  another  of  the  younger  Taylor  boys, 
who  had  been  with  the  Green  brothers,  came  into 
camp  and  reported  the  Greens  killed,  and  their  stock 
driven  off. 

There  were  two  of  these  brothers ;  one  named 
Cyrus,  and  the  other  W.  T.  Green.  They  had  come 
to  Utah  a  few  years  prior  to  this  time.  They  had  con- 
siderable money  with  them,  which  they  invested  in 
cattle  and  horses,  until  they  had  over  two  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  head  of 
horses.  A  greater  portion  of  Utah  is  unsettled,  and 
consequently  the  land  is  unclaimed,  and  belongs  to 
Uncle  Sam.  So  the  boys  drove  their  stock  into  the 
upper  end  of  Castle  Valley,  or  rather  between  Castle 
Valley  and  Fish  Lake.  Here  they  remained  only  a 
short  time,  as  some  other  parties  claimed  a  prior  herd 
right,  and  notified  them  to  that  effect. 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS. 


241 


Now,  these  Green  brothers,  like  hundreds  of  others 
who  have  come  into  the  territory  of  the  Saints,  de- 
nounced them  and  their  notions  as  wrong;  and  the  gen- 
eral judgment  of  mankind  likewise  so  denounces  them. 
For  the  disciples  of  Brigham  Young  constantly  pro- 
claim their  conscientiousness  in  accepting  the  dogma 
of  polygamy,  and  one  cannot  oppose  them  in  this  par- 
ticular without  denying  the  validity  of  the  authority 
they  set  up,  both  in 
and  »  out  of  church. 
This  is  always  the  case 
with  every  doctrine 
that  runs  counter  to 
the  general  human 
sense  of  right.  The 
public  judgment  of 
what  is  proper,  is  that 
it  must  square  with 
the  generally  accepted 
ideas  of  truth  and 
right.  What  the  Mor- 
mons call  faith  has 
been  pronounced 
credulity.  What  they  dignify  as  a  religion  has  been  de- 
cided to  be  a  superstition.  Injustice  has  been  done  to  all 
classes  not  believing  in  their  wild  and  fanciful  notions. 
Men  have  been  compelled  to  either  leave  the  Territory  or 
to  part  with  every  earthly  possession  they  had  accumu- 
lated. And  this  Church  works  in  co-operation  together 
throughout  the  whole  country.  It  has  proved  itself  a 

16 


ORSON    PRATT,    MORMON    PROPHET. 


242  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

power  in  the  hands  of  dangerous  men.  Their  leaders 
have  honors  paid  them  by  all  their  followers,  and  the 
more  virulence -with  which  their  character  is  attacked, 
the  greater  the  esteem  in  which  they  are  held  among 
their  own  people.  They  have  lived,  however,  to  see 
the  beginning  of  an  exodus,  which  may  yet  involve  con- 
sequences of  political  significance.  Their  career  has 
been  a  marvelous  one  in  its  devotion  to  an  absurd  idea 
— marvelous  in  its  extravagant  notions,  especially  in 
reference  to  the  doctrines  of  their  religion.  The  men 
who  founded  these  iniquitious  institutions  are  passing 
away  one  by  one.  Those  who  are  left  pause  in  their 
busy  work  to  clo  honor  to  their  dead  prophets.  They 
seldom  yield  to  any  sense  of  justice.  They  scorn  any 
policy  based  only  on  just  principles.  They  follow  their 
false  premises  to  their  logical  conclusions.  If  they 
listen  at  all  to  reason  or  justice,  they  listen  only  to 
laugh  or  despise.  The  poorer  classes  make  but  little  pro- 
vision for  their  own  support.  They  take  a  liberal  view 
of  the  promises  of  their  prophets,  and  obey  their  so- 
called  divine  injunction.  If  they  fail  to  obey  these, 
they  call  down  upon  themselves  the  guilt  of  unpardon- 
able sin.  They  ponder  and  debate,  in  their  weak  way, 
the  awful  mysteries  spoken  by  their  prophets.  How 
often  in  the  course  of  their  career  must  the  doubt  have 
come  to  them  whether  they  were  acting  in  the  spirit 
of  love  and  obedience,  or  in  that  of  superstition  and 
credulity.  Unrestrained  in  their  traffic,  they  almost 
control  all  that  part  of  the  country.  A  tremendous 
power  is  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  the  rulers  of  the 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS. 


243 


Mormon  Church.  They  wield  a  power  that  any  other 
people  would  hesitate  to  exercise.  It  is  clear  that  it 
will  not  answer,  even  for  those  who  hold  the  right  of 
private  judgment  in  matters  of  religion,  to  allow  all  to 
indulge  in  their  vagaries.  Wild  and  untutored  notions 
will  soon  come  to  possess  many,  and  the  result  will  be 
that  superstition  will  grow  rife,  and,  in  the  name  of 
faith,  deeds  will  be  done  that  will  shock  the  common 
sense  and  the  conscience  of  mankind.  This,  indeed,  has 


FORMER    RESIDENCES    OF    BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

been  the  case  time  and  time  again  in  Utah.  The  stran- 
ger and  the  Saint  are  frequently  dickering  together 
and  oftentimes  the  pretended  divine  leads  his  newly 
formed  acquaintance  into  a  lengthy  argument,  merely 
for  the  sake  of  betrayal  before  the  community.  Often- 
times they  run  across  one  that  comprehends  well  what 
these  demonstrations  mean,  far  better  than  if  he  had 
been  told  in  so  many  words.  These  much-married 


244  HOW  I  KNOW. 

saints  generally  appeal  to  their  versions  of  the  divine 
law.  The  saints,  therefore,  berate  and  oppose  the 
Gentiles  in  their  undertakings.  They  denounce  the 
'colonization  of  their  Territory.  There  is,  consequently, 
always  a  very  bitter  feeling  existing  between  the  two 
parties.  Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  Territory 
when  the  Green  boys  drove  their  cattle  over  into  the 
bottom  lands  of  Grand  River. 

There  had  been  a  fort  built  there  years  previous  to 
this  time  by  the  Mormons,  who  thought  to  colonize  and 
settle  up  the  valley.  But  to  this  the  Indians  were 
adverse.  They  attacked  the  Mormons  in  their  strong- 
hold, and  routed  them  after  a  severe  fight  in  which 
several  from  both  parties  were  killed.  The  old  fort 
had  stood  vacant  until  the  Greens  moved  into  it  as 
a  protection  against  the  storms,  and  a  place  where  they 
could  store  away  such  goods  as  they  had  with  them. 
This  is  a  beautiful  little  valley,  with  plenty  of  wood  and 
water,  and  an  abundant  supply  of  grass,  where  stock 
by  hundreds  may  graze.  Game,  of  various  kinds,  is  here 
found  in  vast  quantities,  and  the  waters  afford  abund- 
ance of  fish.  If  this  valley  were  not  so  far  from  civili- 
zation, it  would  be  one  of  the  most  desirable  places  in 
all  the  country  for  a  few  families  to  settle  in. 

Here  the  Greens  had  been  for  over  a  year,  witnessing 
the  rapid  increase  and  prosperity  of  their  herd.  Here 
they  were  massacred.  The  first  that  was  known 
about  the  horrible  butchering  was  when  young  Taylor 
brought  back  the  report.  He  was  not  an  eye-witness, 
but  had  gone  to  see  Cyrus  Green  on  some  business. 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS. 


245 


He  found  their  dog,  but  no  person  at  the  fort,  and  he 
went  in  search  of  the  boys,  and  soon  found  every 
evidence  of  foul  play.  He  stated  that  he  could  readily 
follow  the  trail  by  which  the  stock  had  been  driven  off, 
as  numbers  of  them  had  been  killed  and  left  along  the 
route.  Some  had  been  left  crippled,  but  were  not  yet 
dead.  He  could  find  no  trace  of  the  boys,  but  from  the 
looks  of  everything  around  he  was  sure  they  were  dead, 
or  had  been  hardly 
dealt  with.  Who- 
ever had  done  the 
deed  must  have  been 
in  somewhat  of  a 
hurry,  as  nearly  six- 
ty head  of  the  cattle 
were  yet  left  on  the 
range.  Their  dog 
was  in  the  fort,  but 
could  not  be  per- 
suaded or  coaxed  to 
leave.  Everything 
about  the  place  was 

just   as    the     Greens  GEORGE  A.  SMITH,  MORMON  APOSTLE. 

had  arranged  it.  Nothing  had  been  meddled  with. 
Even  one  of  their  coats  still  hung  on  the  corner  of  the 
the  fort,  just  as  they  had  left  it. 

The  news  was  carried  to  the  settlements  as  soon 
as  a  horse  could  travel  the  distance.  A  large  party 
was  immediately  organized,  which  made  a  forced 
march  on  horseback  to  the  place.  After  considerable 


246  HOW  I  KNOW. 

search,  they  found  the  body  of  the  eldest  brother,  six 
or  seven  miles  from  the  fort,  lying  near  the  trail  in  a 
a  thicket  of  bushes,  with  a  bullet  hole  in  the  back  of 
his  head.  No  trace  of  the  younger  brother  was  dis- 
covered. He  had,  doubtless,  shared  the  same  fate  with 
his  brother. 

This,  then,  gave  us  some  clue  to  the  mysterious 
tracks  and  maneuvers  around  our  own  camp,  about  the 
same  time.  It  was  a  warning  to  us  to  hasten  on,  or 
we  might  meet  a  fate  similar  to  the  Greens.  We  pulled 
out  for  Grand  River,  not  wishing  to  encounter  the 
danger  of  following  up  the  trail  of  the  murderers.  We 
found  travel  between  Green  and  Grand  Rivers  almost 
unendurable.  There  was  neither  feed,  wood  nor  water, 
and  these  things  are  most  essential,  especially  wThere 
the  stock  has  to  hunt  for  a  living,  and  the  teamsters  do 
their  own  cooking.  Without  these,  you  will  have  to 
go  to  bed  in  a  thirsty,  fireless,  supperless,  ill-humored, 
cheerless  condition,  that  will  utterly  take  the  romance 
out  of  your  journey.  It  makes  no  difference  what  the 
weather  is,  a  camp  without  a  fire  is  lonely  and  desolate. 
The  country  was  one  continual  plain  of  sand  beds  and 
knolls  the  whole  distance.  Sand  is  by  all  odds  worse 
to  travel  through  than  mud.  I  resigned  myself  to  my 
fate,  and  made  the  best  of  it.  As  some  writer  has  said: 

"  Let  Fate  do  her  worst,  there  are  relics  of  joy, 
Bright  dreams  of  the  past  earth  cannot  destroy." 

No  sign  of  a  habitation  is  to  be  seen  in  this  region. 

We  were  now  nearing  Grand  River,  and,  what 
a  contrast  is  to  be  seen!  And  the  nearer  we  approach, 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS.  247 

the  more  beautiful  the  place  appears.     As  yet,  Grand 
River,  and  the  rare  beauty  and  majesty  of  the  scenery 
developed     by   the  passage  of  the  river    through    the 
great   Rocky   Mountain    range    of    Colorado    are    but 
little   known.     The  river  is   hemmed  in   on  either  side 
of  the  valley  with  mighty  walls  of  rock,  the  lower  parts 
of  which  are   fringed  with  scattered,  scrubby  pine   and 
cedar,  which    present   a    peculiar-looking    appearance. 
But  the   grassy  pastures  of  the   river  bottom   lands  are 
a  thousand  times    better  and    prettier  than  -  the   sterile 
plains  we  have  been  traveling  over,  which  was  certainly 
the  most  dreary  and  desolate-looking  place  I  ever  saw. 
After  our  wearisome  journey  across  burning   sands 
and  alkali  bottoms,  it  was  with  a    glorious  feeling  of 
pleasure  that  we   set  foot  in  this   paradise  of  Colorado. 
Here   are    objects   of    interest   to    every  lover  of  Na- 
ture's   wonders,  without  number    on    every  side.     For 
who  is  so    base  as  not  to  be  moved  by  the    beautiful 
handiwork  of    Nature.     Here  a  sense  of  enchantment 
sends    the    blood    coursing   swiftly   through   the    veins. 
Thousands   of  little  birds   are   flitting   about,   amid   the 
berry  bushes,  warbling  their  merry  notes  of  praise  to  an 
ever-bountiful  Providence.     The  river  is  thickly  dotted 
with    ducks    and    geese    that    go    swimming    over   its 
surface.     Deer    and   antelope  are  feeding   and   frisking 
about,  unconscious  of  the  danger  that  hovers  over  them 
with  the  approach  of  civilization.     Thousands  of  bears 
inhabit  these  regions.      Wild  cats  and  wolves  scream 
and  howl  continually.     The  higher  gravel  knolls  of  the 
valley,  and  those  near  the  bench  land  are  all  burrowed 


248 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


out  by  badgers.  Beaver  and  otter  are  numerous  in  the 
river,  and  the  timber  lands  of  the  bottom  bear  evidence 
of  their  industrious  gnawing,  for  they  have  most  of  the 
smaller  trees  either  entirely  cut  oif  or  badly  scarred. 
^  ^.  x — -^— -~  ,,—--:— ^  Along  the 

river  banks 
the  scene 
is  a  strik- 
ing  one . 
The  cot- 
ton-woods 
with  their 
brightly- 
glistening 
leaves  of 


green. 


and 


the  endless 
varieties  of 
berries, 
peeping 
from  out  of 
the  thick- 
ets that  en- 
close us  on 
every  side 
make  a 

robe  of  beauty  for  the  hillsides.  The  swift,  dashing 
water,  rushing  on  in  its  mighty  course,  makes  a  noise 
that  is  audible  for  three  miles.  On  either  side  of  the 
canon  are  numberless  caverns,  holes,  cracks  and  crev- 


"THE  SWIFT  DASHING   WATER." 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS.  249 

ices,  which  are  safe  and  snug  retreats  for  all  such 
insects  and  animals  as  make  these  places  their  retreat. 
But  what  we  appreciated  just  now  the  most  was  the 
berries.  We  all  set  to  eating  these,  and  as  might  have 
been  expected,  some  ate  so  many  that  they  made  them- 
selves sick. 

Here,  as  in  many  other  places  in  the  West,  ruins  of 
ancient  cities  are  found.  When  viewing  these,  one 
cannot  help  wondering  what  wrere  the  history  and  for- 
tunes, the  virtues  and  vices  of  the  long  since  departed 
inhabitants  of  these  places;  those  who  at  some  remote 
time  have  here  passed  their  day,  and  acted  their  brief 
part  in  the  great  drama  of  the  life  of  the  human  race, 
wrhose  unknown  dust  now  mingles  with  the  virgin  soil. 
They  have  long  since  passed  away;  but  the  same  hills, 
knolls  and  ridges  still  stand;  the  same  river  flows  along 
through  the  same  channel;  the  same  skies  look  down 
upon  this  green  valley,  now  uninhabited  by  white  men. 
From  the  abundance  of  game  that  abounds  here, 
and  all  the  beautiful  objects  of  Nature  that  break  upon 
the  view,  we  associate  all  that  is  poetic,  romantic  and 
heroic  with  the  history  of  this  bygone  people,  that  once 
lived  between  these  mighty  hills  and  on  the  shores  of 
this  swift  and  beautiful  river.  All  these  lofty  mountains, 
these  beautiful  streams  of  snow  water,  that  have  grown 
into  mighty  rivers;  all  those  rough,  craggy  cliffs  that 
continue  to  crumble,  wash,  and  topple  over,  to  form 
mighty  slides  of  broken  rock,  these  all  remain  as  objects 
sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  past.  Who  is  there  that 
can  tell  of  the  deeds,  mighty  and  valorous,  that  have 


250  HOW  I  KNOW. 

been  here  performed?  No  one  can  do  this.  Nothing  is 
left  to  record  the  history  of  this  once  powerful  race,  but 
desolated  ruins  and  thousands  of  tons  of  broken  earthen- 
ware. A  mighty  race  has  become  extinct.  No  doubt, 
they  loved  their  wild  home,  and  were  as  happy  and 
prosperous  among  themselves,  at  that  remote  day,  as 
are  the  present  inhabitants  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
For  the  love  of  country  does  not  always  keep  pace 
with  the  country's  growth,  but  often  diminishes  when 
not  urgently  aroused.  For  this  reason,  those  who  are 
constantly  warring  against  other  nations,  keep  alive  a 
patriotic  sentiment  which  links  each  individual  more 
closely  to  home  and  friends,  which  they  are  ready  to 
defend,  even  with  their  lives.  The  nature  of  man  seems 
adapted  to  this.  In  all  his  wanderings,  there  is  no  place 
like  home,  no  country  like  his  own  native  land.  It  may 
be  barren  and  rugged,  swept  by  storms  or  earthquakes, 
or  overshadowed  by  frozen  hills,  or  poor  in  resources, 
where  life  is  but  one  continued  struggle  for  existence, 
with  a  sickly,  sultry,  or  inhospitable  climate,  unpropitious 
seasons,  and  an  unwilling  soil.  But  it  is  his  birthplace;  it 
is  where  he  roamed  in  his  infantile  rambles;  it  is  his 
fatherland,  and,  sooner  than  he  \vill  see  its  name  dishon- 
ored, or  its  soil  invaded,  he  will  shed  his  blood  in  its 
defense.  And  I  have  every  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
inhabitants  of  wild,  mountainous  regions,  and  of  sterile 
plains,  manifest  as  strong  a  love  of  home  and  country, 
as  any  people  in  the  world.  With  them,  like  our- 
selves, whatever  deprives  of  liberty,  trenches  upon  our 
power. 


VEXATIOUS  DEL  ATS.  251 

But  here  we  are,  where  there  are  no  other  white 
people  nearer  than  the  settlements  of  Utah,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  behind.  And  we  have  been,  since  the  8th 
of  March,  coming  this  distance — and  this  is  the  2ist 
day  of  July.  So  that  it  will  be  seen  that  we  have  not 
made  an  average  of  two  miles  a  day  since  we  started. 
I  have  not  seen  a  woman,  either  white  or  Indian,  since 


LONELY — THREE  THOUSAND  MILES  FROM  HOME. 

I  left  the  settlements,  over  four  months  ago.  I  have 
been  once  before,  for  a  much  longer  period  of  time  than 
this,  without  seeing  women;  but  if  the  Lord  spares  me 
to  outlive  this  miserable  trip,  never  again  will  I  spoil  all 
peace,  comfort  and  happiness,  merely  for  the  sake  of 
gratifying  an  idle  curiosity  and  small  gain.  I  love 
scenery  as  well  as  any  mortal  on  earth;  but  to  gain  a 


252  PIOW  I  KNOW. 

knowledge  of  this  place  is  to  sacrifice  all  earthly  enjoy- 
ment, and  to  run  a  risk  of  falling  a  victim  to  the  dusky 
warriors,  who  claim  possession  of  an  enormous  tract  of 
country  of  which  this  is  a  part.  I  find  that  the  Indians 
are  all  dangerous,  when  permitted  any  liberty  by  the 
whites;  consequently,  they  require  to  be  kept  within 
careful  bounds.  They  will  often  abuse  you,  and  that 
without  provocation,  other  than  trespassing  by  traveling 
across  their  country. 

Yet  variety  and  novelty  are  usually  pleasing.  Our 
natures  demand  something,  once  in  awhile,  to  break 
the  monotony  of  our  every-day  existence,  for  we  find 
but  little  amusement  in  working  hard  every  day,  over 
the  work-bench  of  life.  Oftentimes  we  get  disgusted 
with  our  daily  routine  of  business;  then  Nature  stretches 
out  her  ready  hand  and  bids  us  come  and  behold  her 
beauties,  and  forget  our  cares  and  anxieties  as  we  feast 
upon  her  charms.  I  know  that  all  men  are  eager  to 
see  new  things,  and  are  greedy  of  gain.  The  great  gold 
excitement  of  California,  in  1849,  or,  the  White  Pine 
excitement  in  Nevada,  a  little  later,  or,  a  little  later  still, 
the  Black  Hills'  excitement,  or,  at  the  present  writing, 
the  Leadville  excitement,  are  all  good  illustrations. 
People  go  wild  to  get  there,  and  two-thirds  that  reach 
there  go  wild  to  get  away. 


MORAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE.  253 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

MORAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE. 

THE  climate  of  Colorado  has  proved  a  great  bless- 
ing to  persons  of  weak  constitutions.  Many  who 
have  gone  into  the  State  confirmed  invalids,  have  soon 
grown  strong.  The  shattered  system  becomes  restored 
again  to  early  strength  and  vigor,  and  the  pale  and 
sallow  cheek  soon  assumes  a  bright  and  healthy  glow. 

It  is  not  that  here  there  is  as  much  or  more  to  eat, 
than  can  be  found  in  other  places;  but,  then,  even  on 
such  a  trip  as  we  are  now  making,  we  have  good  living 
for  those  roughing  the  wilds.  We  have  plenty  of  flour, 
meat,  both  salt  and  fresh,  all  the  fresh  fish  we  want, 
and  berries  for  the  picking.  These  may  not  always  be 
served  in  the  most  pretentious  style,  but  then  the  reader 
understands  that  we  have  not  all  the  modern  conven- 
iences at  command.  Remember,  also,  that  neither  among 
our  cooks  nor  boarders  are  there  any  of  the  fair  sex, 
and  our  white  neighbors  being  a  little  remote,  we  sel- 
dom invite  any  of  them  to  sit  down  with  us. 

We  have  no  persons  to  dinner  but  those  who  are 
privileged,  always  welcomed,  and  generally  wanted. 
We  are  here  free  from  the  necessity  of  paying  visits. 
In  these  parts,  the  natives  follow  the  usual  custom  of 
society  and  make  the  first  call,  but,  unfortunately,  this 
is  generally  done  in  a  very  rude  and  noisy  manner,  one 
not  altogether  sanctioned  by  the  better  usages  of  society. 


254 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


But,  then,  what  Lord  Chesterfield  says,  is  here  to 
the  purpose:  "The  nature  of  things,"  he  remarks,  "is 
always  and  everywhere  the  same;  but  the  modes  of 
them  vary,  more  or  less,  in  every  country."  It  may 
be  said  that  man  derives  knowledge  from  travel.  I 
grant  that  he  does;  but  that  the  knowledge  obtained 
from  travel  over  deserts  of  sand  and  alkali,  yelling  one's 
self  hoarse,  in  driving  stubborn  cattle,  is  better  than 

the  knowledge  that 
would  naturally  be 
gained  from  a  resi- 
dence in  a  polite,  so- 
cial community,  is 
hardly  reasonable  to 
suppose.  No  ra- 
tional-minded man 
loves  entire  solitude; 
neither  do  six  or 
eight  individuals  en- 
joy staying  out  by 
themselves  on  these 

piaittS,        IOT        <\ 


"OH,   SOLITUDE,    WHERE  ARE  THY   CHARMS." 

whole  year  at  a  time.  Place  a  man  in  such  solitude, 
and,  although  he  may  have  all  the  books  of  the  world 
at  his  command,  in  a  few  years  time,  the  world  will 
have  marched  on,  and  left  him  far  in  the  rear. 

I  speak  from  two  years'  experience,  when  six  of  us 
had  no  companions,  except  ourselves,  and  the  insects 
and  brutes  of  the  field.  We  had  plenty  to  eat.  We 
worked  nearly  every  day  on  the  Webster  Mine,  when 


MORAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE.  255 

it  was  first  located,  for  nearly  the  whole  two  years. 
Some  of  the  boys  went  to  Salt  Lake  City  after  provis- 
ions ;  but  I  staid  out  the  whole  time,  and  kept  up  my 
part  of  the  work.  These  were  the  longest  two  years 
of  my  life.  I  often  look  back  to  those  days  when  I 
was  wishing  to  be  a  rich  man,  so  that  I  would  not 
have  to  stay  and  toil  my  life  away  in  solitude.  But,  as 
Mr.  Haven  remarks,  "  The  man  who  has  no  higher 
principle  than  a  regard  for  the  opinions  of  others,  is 
not  likely  to  accomplish  anything  great  or  noble." 
He  further  says,  that  "the  true  theater  for  virtue  is 
conscience.  There  is  none  greater.  The  praise  of 
man  confers  no  solid  happiness,  unless  it  is  felt  to 
be  deserved ;  and  if  it  be  so,  that  very  conscious- 
ness is  sufficient." 

This,  therefore,  is  the  best  country  in  which  to 
find  men  out,  in  regard  to  manliness  and  integrity, 
and  also  perseverance  and  energy.  There  is  none 
better.  We  find  this  a  splendid  opportunity  for  the 
study  of  human  nature,  both  of  others  and  of  ourselves. 
A  man,  here,  soon  shows  just  what  he  is.  If  he  is  dis- 
posed to  evil,  it  is  soon  apparent.  If  he  is  a  moral 
man,  he  shows  it.  If  rough,  noisy,  and  uncouth  in 
manners,  it  is  soon  discovered.  If  industrious,  he  finds 
plenty  to  do,  and  does  it.  If  lazy,  he  walks  around 
camp,  and  watches  his  comrades  carry  the  wood  and 
water,  build  fires,  and  prepare  something  to  eat.  But 
"  dead  beats "  are  very  common  everywhere,  and  are 
easily  recognized. 

Of  all  the  nuisances  that  the  world  is  afflicted  with, 


256  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

the  big,  stout,  lazy  individual  is  the  worst.  He 
is  worthless  to  himself,  and  a  detriment  and  an 
aggravation  to  all  those  around  him.  There  is  no 
occasion  for  a  man  to  be  large  and  stout,  unless  it  is 
that  he  may  work.  I  esteem  highly  all  that  endeavor 
to  do  anything.  Go  to  work  with  a  will,  and,  if  you  do 
not  succeed  in  doing  much,  do  a  little.  Show  a  will- 
ingness to  try,  and  I  will  insure  you  sympathizing 
friends,  providing  your  pursuits  are  legitimate.  If  we 
get  into  adverse  circumstances,  we  cannot  do  better 
than  to  study  contentment.  There  is  nothing  to  be 
gained  by  brooding  and  lamenting  over  the  past,  for 
time  lost  is  gone  forever.  But  with  the  full  powder  of 
our  strength  and  willingness  of  mind,  we  can  use  dili- 
gence and  exercise  patience,  for  these  virtues  offer  a 
relief  that  the  sluggard  never  gains.  Let  us  try  to 
elevate  those  around  us.  It  is  as  easy  to  say  a  good 
word  for  a  neighbor  as  to  be  eternally  railing  at  and 
abusing  him.  An  evil  word  does  no  good. 

Give  me  the  man  that  has  a  good  word  of  cheer  to 
all.  How  pleasantly  time  speeds  along  while  in  his 
company.  Such  an  one  does  not  live  for  himself  alone, 
but  for  the  good  of  the  world.  Such  as  these  extend 
to  their  friends  a  cordial  welcome.  They  have  not 
learned  to  despise  the  world  nor  to  hate  the  human  race, 
and  are  never  cut  off  from  the  society  of  their  fellow- 
man.  Aught  of  evil  to  mortal  man,  I  cherish  not;  but 
fain  would  bless  every  living  creature,  and  make  happy 
all  this  wretched,  suffering  world.  If  we  have  any- 
thing to  do,  let  us  pluck  up  courage  and  do  it,  or  we 


MORAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE.  257 

can  rest  assured  that  it  will  never  be  done.  It  costs 
labor  on  our  part  if  we  win  anything,  but  when  once 
won,  it  will  appear  to  us  the  more  glorious.  Nor  need 
any  man  fear  the  imputation  of  cowardice  if  he  curbs  his 
anger  at  direct  abuse  of  himself.  "A  soft  answer  turn- 
eth  away  wrath."  The  approval  of  the  company  will 
always  go  with  the  man  who  keeps  his  temper,  for  not 
only  does  society  feel  that  to  vent  wrath  is  a  breach 
of  its  laws,  but  it  knows  that  to  conquer  one's  self  is  a 
far  more  difficult  task  than  to  overcome  an  enemy,  and 
that,  therefore,  the  man  who  keeps  his  temper  is  really 
strong,  and  truly  courageous.  Some  people  are  foolish 
enough  to  think  that  everything  depends  on  birth. 
What  does  it  matter,  for,  if  a  man  is  fit  for  good  soci- 
ety, it  can  make  very  little  difference  whether  his 
father  was  a  miner  or  chancellor,  at  least  it  should  not 
with  sensible  people. 

But  wealth  without  breeding,  generally  draws  the 
attention  of  others  to  the  want  of  taste  in  its  pos- 
sessor, and  gives  envy  an  object  to  sneer  at.  I  cannot 
think  that  rank  is  necessarily  a  recommendation  to  a 
man.  For  look  around  you.  Not  every  officer  of 
trust  is  by  any  means  a  gentleman. 

Another  feature  of  western  life  is  the  immense 
amount  of  tobacco  used.  I  am  a  smoker  myself,  and 
in  solitude  with  my  pipe,  I  contemplate  many  things 
that  will  never  be  in  print.  The  mind  of  the  smoker 
is  contemplative,  rather  than  active.  I  know  full  well 
that  I  have  now  got  my  pen  started  on  the  subject, 
and  will  have  to  pen  my  way  out.  I  will  not  take  up 


258  HOW  I  KNOW. 

the  question  in  its  medical  aspects,  and  speak  of  the 
destroying  qualities  of  the  weed.  I  do  believe,  that 
used  in  moderation  it  diminishes  the  violence  of  the 
passions,  more  particularly,  of  the  temper.  But  what 
is  moderate  and  what  is  not,  must  be  determined  in 
each  individual  case.  I  believe  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
induces  a  habit  of  calm  reflectiveness.  It  is  the  solace 
of  the  weary  laborer,  the  support  of  the  ill-fed,  the 
refresher  of  over-wrought  brains,  the  soother  of  an- 
gered feelings,  the  boast  of  the  exquisite,  the  pastime 
of  the  idle,  the  companion  of  the  philosopher. 

The  ladies  claim  and  protest  that  it  is  the  dirtiest 
and  most  unsociable  habit  a  man  can  indulge  in.  Some 
of  the  fair  ones  say  they  love  the  smell  of  tobacco, 
while  others  declare  that  they  will  never  marry  one 
who  uses  it,  which  by  the  way,  they  in  the  end  gener- 
ally do,  however.  Tobacco  has  won  a  fame  over  a 
wider  feld,  and  among  better  men,  than  Noah's  grape 
has  ever  done.  I  think  that  smoking  has  conduced  to 
make  the  society  of  men,  when  freed  from  the  whole- 
some restraints  of  female  companions,  less  riotous,  less 
quarrelsome,  and  less  vicious  than  what  it  would  be, 
were  they  to  have  nothing  with  which  to  drown  dull 
care.  In  this  way  the  idle  man  can  pass  hours  away, 
which  he  would  not  have  given  to  work,  but,  perhaps, 
to  deviltry.  With  this  solace  he  is  no  longer  restless 
and  impatient  for  excitement  of  some  kind. 

But  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  ladies  hate  the  habit. 
For  the  pipe  is  the  worst  rival  a  woman  can  have, 
and  it  is  one  whose  eyes  she  cannot  scratch  out ;  one 


MORAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE.  259 

which  improves  with  age  as  she  herself  declines;  which 
is  silent,  yet  a  companion  which  costs  little,  and  gives 
much  pleasure.  One  can  smoke,  if  he  will,  without 
making  himself  disgusting  to  his  lady  friends,  or  run- 
ning them  from  their  drawing-rooms.  I  do  not  think 
a  gentleman  would  offer  to  smoke  where  the  company 
was  mixed,  unless  it  were  a  cigar,  and  that  with  the 
consent  of  all  present.  But  here  in  the  West  there  are 
very  few  but  what  smoke,  and  many  do  worse,  for  they 
drink  up  all  the  money  they  make. 

Again,  one  misses  all  entertainments  of  social  life 
by  being  in  such  a  place  as  we  are  now  in.  There  are 
neither  churches,  Sunday-schools,  theaters,  balls,  nor 
anything  of  that  character,  either  good,  bad,  or  indiffer- 
ent. We  are  the  sole  inhabitants  of  the  valley,  at  this 
present  time.  I,  for  one,  am  not  at  all  satisfied  here, 
nor  would  I  be  should  Uncle  Sam  give  me  a  clear  title 
to  this  whole  valley,  if  it  were  on  the  condition  that  I 
should  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days  here.  I  do  not 
want  to  be  so  rich,  if  it  shall  deprive  me  of  all  society  in 
order  to  obtain  such  vast  possessions.  This  valley  will, 
of  course,  be  settled  up  some  day,  but  at  the  present 
time  no  white  man  lives  near.  The  entire  valley  is  in 
possession  of  the  Ute  Indians. 

Take  a  person  and  put  him  in  the  most  beautiful 
place  on  our  continent,  and  doom  to  a  solitary  life,  and 
you  surround  himfwith  misery,  to  be  continually  tor- 
mented by  a  longing  for  companions.  To  live  in  such 
isolation  is  to  sacrifice  all  self-esteem.  Aristotle  says, 
"  Emulation  is  a  good  thing,  and  belongs  to  good  men; 


260 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


envy  is  a  bad  thing,  and  belongs  to  bad  men,  and  what 
a  man  is   emulous  of  he   strives  to  attain,  that  he   may 


SCALP-DANCE    OF    THE    UTE    INDIANS. 


really  possess  the  desired  object;  the  envious  are  satis- 
fied if  nobody  has  it." 


MORAL   AND   DESCRIPTIVE.  261 

Money  making  is  the  great  consideration  of  all  our 
scheming.  Money  enables  persons  to  secure  and  pay 
for  homes,  which  they  cannot  otherwise  obtain.  As  a 
matter  of  course  people  generally  congregate  where 
the  greatest  inducements  are  held  out.  This  has  been 
well  illustrated  in  the  mining  industries  of  the  West. 
These  began  to  develop  with  the  discovery  of  the 
precious  metals,  and  increased  with  a  rapidity  rarely 
witnessed  in  any  country.  These  mining  enterprises 
have  proven  highly  remunerative  in  many  instances, 
and  through  various  channels  of  business,  in  addition  to 
mining.  All  branches  of  industry,  in  fact,  have  profited 
enormously  through  mining.  The  farmer,  the  mer- 
chant, the  machinist,  the  mechanic,  and  the  laborer  in 
every  department,  both  East  and  West. 

Mining  is  dependent  largely  upon  the  transportation 
of  various  kinds  of  stuff.  With  some  of  this  our  wagons 

o 

are  loaded  at  present,  for  the  benefit  of  the  miners  at 
Ouray.  Everything  has  moved  so  slowly,  and  gone  so 
contrary  to  all  expectations,  that  of  patience  and  perse- 
verance I  have  but  little  left.  I  thought  when  wre  left 
Manti  that  we  would  see  Ouray  inside  of  sixty  days,  at 
most.  But  now  I  have  but  little  better  idea  of  where 
Ouray  is  than  one  of  the  "  Kanackers  "  of  Central  Amer- 
ica. Some  one  has  said  that  when  a  man  is  in  the 
right  path  he  must  persevere.  I  am  free  to  confess 
that  I  am  thoroughly  tired  of  persevering  on  this  trip, 
and  I  feel  that  the  sooner  I  can  get  rid  of  this  outfit 
the  better.  I  will  sell  out  for  half  price.  For  I  now 
feel  that  I  have  been  duped,  and  that  too,  by  those 


262  HOW  I  KNOW. 

whom  I  thought  were  my  friends.  I  know  that  many 
persons  naturally  look  on  the  dark  side  of  life,  and 
borrow  trouble,  and  become  despondent.  It  may  be 
that  they  cannot  help  doing  so.  But  it  is  wrong.  I 
think  a  person  ought  to  set  his  stakes  as  to  what  he 
intends  doing,  and  run  for  them,  leaving  despondent 
feelings  far  in  the  rear. 

I,  for  one,  will  never  again  tie  myself  to  the  apron 
strings  of  relationship  outside  of  the  paternal  roof. 
There  is  more  to  be  lost  than  gained.  I  have  been 
made  despondent  when  I  should  have  been  elated,  and 
that  through  no  fault  of  my  own.  But  then  there  is  a 
little  information  to  be  gained  every  day,  and  we  need 
never  to  be  beaten  twice  the  same  way.  I  lacked 
caution  when  I  ventured  in  this  undertaking,  or  hardly 
this  eitrier,  for  if  I  had  done  as  my  best  judgment  dic- 
tated to  me,  when  at  Salt  Lake  City,  I  would  have 
returned  immediately  to  California.  I  do  believe  that 
if  I  would  be  governed  more  by  the  first  impulses  of 
my  mind,  that  I  would  often  work  out  consistent  plans 
with  greater  ease  than  I  do. 

There  is  good  in  everything.  It  does  not  do  for  a 
complete  stranger  to  put  his  hands  in  fighting  posture, 
cock  his  eyes  at  you,  and  inform  you  by  way  of  intro- 
duction, "Wall,  I  guess  you're  a  tarnation  logger-head, 
you  aire,"  meaning  to  cast  some  reproach  at  another's 
personal  appearance,  and  general  mental  capacities. 
You  would  see  a  hand  gently  moving  towards  the  belt 
that  always  encircles  the  waist.  It  whould  be  a  fine 
thing  if  these  appendages  had  never  been  introduced. 


MORAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE.  263 

Because  the  danger  of  being  knocked  down  on  the 
spot,  and  having  his  beauty  spoiled,  is  likely  to  be  a 
much  greater  inducement  to  proper  behavior,  than  the 
pistol,  to  a  man  who  can  offend  in  this  manner.  Yet, 
there  are  times  when  the  pistol  has  the  effect  of  awing 
men  into  decent  politeness. 

Of  course,  to  knock  a  man  down  is  never  good 
manners.  But  there  is  a  way  of  doing  it  gracefully, 
and  one  thing  should  be  observed.  Whether  you  com- 
mand your  temper  or  not,  never  show  it,  except  by 
the  blow.  Never  assail  an  offender  with  words,  for  it 
has  a  tendency  to  make  bad,  worse.  I  would  not 
speak  as  above,  but  the  surrounding  circumstances 
in  the  West  are  such,  that  every  man  you  meet  is 
weighted  down  with  weapons  of  death  and  destruc- 
tion. You  very  seldom  see  a  man  who  does  not  have 
them,  and  then  it  is  simply  because  he  is  not  able  to 
afford  something  of  the  sort.  There  are  those  here, 
who  for  a  small  gratuity,  would  decide  for  another 
whether  their  honor  was  hurt  or  not. 

Hunting  and  shooting  are  the  only  amusements  on 
Green  River  at  the  present  time.  In  fact  this,  together 
with  boating  and  hallooing  at  the  cattle,  are  all  the 
accomplishments  we  know ;  yet  these  are  sufficient  to 
drive  away  dull  care,  and  to  make  time  less  tedious. 
I  know  there  are  a  great  many  who  hunt,  who  have  ac- 
complished but  little  when  the  day  is  over;  yet  I  know  of 
nothing  that  gives  more  pleasure  to  a  skillful  marksman 
than  the  chase.  Here  deer,  elk,  antelope,  and  wolves 
can  be  shot  without  traveling  over  miles  of  rugged 


264  HOW  I  KNOW. 

country.  Many  parts  of  the  West  are  very  thinly 
settled,  or  are  entirely  uninhabited.  In  such  places, 
game  is  more  easily  approached  than  it  is  in  places 
where  the  hunter's  or  sportsman's  fusilade  is  continually 
kept  up,  and  where  the  baying  of  the  dogs  is  heard  on 
every  side,  as  they  go  charging  on  in  hot  pursuit  of  the 
crippled  or  badly-frightened  animals,  and  where,  now 
and  again,  the  huntsman's  voice  is  heard  breaking  in, 
urging  on  his  ever-faithful  companions  to  the  capture. 

There  are. a  great  many  things  essentially  necessary 
to  be  a  good  hunter.  Skill  is  needed;  as  a  man  must  be 
familiar  with  the  habits  of  the  game  he  is  in  pursuit  of, 
in  order  to  approach  it.  Pluck  is  needed,  for  it  is  weari- 
some work  to  carry  a  heavy  rifle  and  trudge  through 
the  forests  and  over  the  desolate  plains,  all  day  long. 
Nothing  escapes  the  eye  of  the  old  hunter.  He  quickly 
discovers  the  cause  of  the  least  rustle.  He  hears  every 
sound.  He  is  quickly  aware  of  every  danger.  Years 
of  careful  hunting  for  game  have  made  him  familiar 
with  all  the  various  sounds;  consequently,  he  will  tell  you 
on  the  instant  what  it  is  that  makes  a  noise.  And 
where  a  variety  of  sounds  seem  all  mingled  together, 
he  quickly  singles  each  one  out,  and  traces  it  to  its 
source. 

There  are  various  ways  of  hunting.  In  hunting 
deer,  the  hunter  often  goes  early  and  reaches  their 
resorts  by  break  of  day,  as  deer  feed  in  the  morning, 
early.  When  the  sun  is  warm,  they  have  to  be  routed 
from  thickets  or  their  sequestered  haunts;  starting  early, 
then,  gives  the  hunter  many  advantages  that  cannot  be 


MORAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE. 


265 


had  later  in  the  day.  The  hunter  hides  himself  early, 
and  watches  for  the  feeding  or  traveling  game.  In  a 
part  of  the  country,  where  game  is  plenty,  the  hunter 
seldom  misses  his  "luck"  and  fails  to  get  something. 
If  he  is  hunting  sheep,  he  ascends  to  the  highest,  rough- 
est, rockiest  mountain  fastnesses  in  the  vicinity,  as  it  is 


HUNTING    BUFFALO    IN    THE    OLDEN    TIME. 

here  where  the  mountain  sheep  love  to  gambol.  Sheep 
are  very  different,  by  nature  and  disposition,  from  any 
other  animal.  Though  they  are  large,  they  are  inno- 
cent and  inoffensive  in  every  way.  They  are  seldom 
seen  in  the  low  lands. 

Deer,  however,  are   found  in  every   locality.     They 


266  HOW  I  KNOW. 

frequent  both  high  mountains  and  low  valleys;  but  dur- 
ing the  cold  winter  months,  while  the  snow  is  deep,  they 
become  more  numerous  in  the  valleys  and  low  bench 
lands.  At  such  times  they  are  more  easily  hunted, 
and  their  flesh  is  fatter  and  better  flavored  than  at  any 
other  time  of  the  year.  In  warm  seasons  they  frequent 
the  slopes  of  timbered  mountains,  high  up,  where  the 
flies  are  not  so  bad.  They  are  difficult  to  approach, 
and,  once  alarmed,  they  are  gone  like  a  shot.  When 
a  flock  of  them  is  started,  in  a  thicket,  they  make  the 
brush  crack  loud  enough  to  be  heard  half  a  mile  away. 
They  are  different  from  the  antelope.  The  antelope 
is  similar,  in  size  and  weight,  to  the  white-tailed  deer; 
their  legs  are  longer,  and  they  are  very  nimble.  They 
are  found,  chiefly,  where  the  country  is  rolling,  and  on 
the  hills  destitute  of  timber,  where  grass  is  found  in 
abundance. 

The  country  through  here  is  different  from  any 
other  portion  of  the  West.  Both  sides  are  hemmed  in 
with  high  mountain  chains.  The  valley  is  thickly 
dotted  over  with  sand  buttes  and  destitute  of  water,  for 
miles  and  miles.  And  yet,  day  after  day,  we  seem  to 
be  constantly  in  sight  of  water;  but  each  time  we  find 
that  we  have  been  deceived  by  mirages.  This  part  of 
the  country  bears  evidences  of  the  presence  of  min- 
erals, all  the  way  from  the  Squash  Mountains,  or 
Three  Peaks,  clear  through  to  Leadville.  There  is 
water  coming  from  the  canons,  on  either  side,  but  it  all 
sinks  ere  it  reaches  the  valley.  In  some  of  these 
places  I  saw  as  good  indications  of  gold  as  there  are 


MORAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE.  267 

anywhere  in  the  gold  diggings  of  the  West.  I  have 
in  some  of  these  gulches,  seen  good  pan  prospects. 
Some  were  worth  thirty-four  cents.  But  the  Indians 
are  bad,  and  water  is  scarce.  The  supply  of  timber  is 
limited  to  the  short,  scrubby  pine  and  cedars.  This  is, 
moreover,  three  hundred  miles  from  any  settlements; 
so  that  it  will  be  seen  that  a  small  band  of  men  would 
run  great  risk  in  undertaking  to  stay  in  this  section  of 
the  country. 

These  valleys  constantly  vary  from  one-half  to  three 
and  five  miles  in  width.  This  is  a  beautiful  place,  as 
far  as  looking  at  the  grandeur  of  nature  is  concerned, 
but  barrenness  and  destitution  mark  all  its  surround- 
ings. Either  range  is  covered,  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  year,  with  a  varying  thickness  of  snow.  Here  the 
ranges  are  white  in  June.  I  have  been  traveling 
through  these  valleys  often  with  my  companions,  when 
we  were  all  suffering  from  thirst,  when,  by  looking  in 
the  distance,  for  half  a  mile  or  a  mile,  we  could  observe 
a  large  lake  of  water,  and  see  men  in  boats  and  canoes 
paddling  about  in  the  water,  everything  looking  as  na- 
tural as  if  it  were  real.  And  the  famished  traveler  makes 
for  the  lake  to  slake  his  thirst.  He  travels  on  and  on 
and  on,  until,  finally,  the  lake,  boats  and  men  begin  to 
disappear,  and,  by  and  by,  the  thing  is  all  gone.  The 
traveler  is  by  this  time  sick  at  heart,  weary,  and  begins 
to  despair. 

One  trip  is  generally  enough  to  satisfy  a  wanderer 
that  this  is  no  place  in  which  to  linger.  Contrast  the 
barrenness  of  this  country  with  the  fertility  of  the  val- 


268  HOW  I  KNOW. 

leys  in  the  East,  and  mark  well  the  difference,  and 
there  is  no  civilized  man  on  the  face  of  this  christian- 
ized world  that  would  envy  the  red  man  of  the  forest 
this  country.  He  may  like  to  hunt  through  the  foot- 
hills for  antelope,  but  the  bottom  lands  contain  no 
allurement  for  him.  He  soon  grows  foot-sore  and 
weary,  and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  he  reaches  a  stream 
of  cool  water. 

We  are  now  approaching  the  Gunnison,  a  small 
river  of  snow  water,  which  runs  with  a  rapid  current. 
When  we  first  come  in  sight  of  the  stream,  we  are 
still  high  up  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  where  every- 
thing is  barren  and  desolate.  To  come  suddenly  to 
the  edge  of  this  rugged  precipice,  and  to  get  an  unex- 
pected glimpse  across  and  up  and  down  the  deep  val- 
ley at  your  feet,  to  see  either  bank  carpeted  with  the 
richest  of  grass,,  and  a  luxuriant  growth  of  joint  rushes, 
and  dotted  here  and  there  with  clusters  of  cotton- 
wood  of  magnificent  growth,  and  to  see  game  of  all 
kinds  in  abundance,  in  every  direction,  is  like  taking  a 
peep  into  the  Indian's  happy  hunting  grounds.  The 
sudden  contrast  is  so  great  as  to  make  an  entrance 
from  the  surrounding  barren  mountains  into  this  rich 
valley  like  an  entrance  into  a  new  world.  This  is  cer- 
tainly a  most  beautiful  place,  and  I  do  not  know  where 
to  find  a  nicer.  This  valley  is  quite  small.  I  suppose 
that  one  thousand  acres  will  include  all  the  good  land 
there  is  in  it. 

After  crossing  the  Gunnison,  we  then  travel  along 
the  Uncompahgre  River.  Here,  again,  we  see  some 


MORAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE.  269 

beautiful  land.  Along  the  river  bank,  however,  is  a 
wilderness  of  brush.  It  is  only  here  and  there  that 
one  can  get  through  this,  to  the  water's  edge.  We 
are  now  in  sight  of  the  stage  road,  that  leads  from 
Saguache  to  Ouray  and  San  Miguel.  And,  oh,  what  a 
blessed  sight  it  is  to  see  the  wagons  coming  toward 
you,  from  other  directions.  The  stage  road  intersects 
our  own  road,  six  miles  below  Ouray  village,  which  is 
an  Indian  town. 

Reader,  imagine  yourself  shut  off  for  six  months 
from  all  communication  with  the  world,  with  no  op- 
portunity to  hear  a  word  from  any  of  your  friends  at 
home,  or  to  see  a  newspaper,  from  which  to  learn  any 
events  of  the  day,  and  then  try  to  imagine  how  you 
would  feel  in  meeting  with  friends  again.  I  do  think 
that  twice  as  many  events  transpire  during  such  a 
period  of  time  as  take  place  at  any  other  time,  when 
we  see  them  and  know  them  as  they  occur.  Every- 
thing seems  new,  and  one  cannot  help  feeling  that  he 
has  grown  older  rapidly,  in  a  short  time.  There  is  a 
strange  sensation,  in  such  an  experience,  that  cannot 
be  pictured  or  told. 

Ouray,  the  peace  chief  of  the  Ute  Nation,  lives 
here  on  the  Uncompahgre  River.  He  has  a  splendid 
location,  in  the  heart  of  a  beautiful  valley.  The  old 
chief  occupies  a  good  house,  which  is  as  nicely  finished 
as  though  built  by  a  skilled  mechanic.  He  owns  one 
section  of  land,  in  his  own  name,  which  is  somewhat 
improved,  and  enclosed  with  a  strong  fence.  Quite  a 
number  of  his  tribe  are  always  around  him,  but  they 


270  HOW  I  KNOW. 

seem  more  negligent  in  the  matter  of  well-doing  than 
Ouray  himself.  There  are  dogs  here  by  hundreds, 
of  all  breeds,  kinds  and  colors,  and  of  every  shade  of 
disposition.  They  are  all  sizes  and  shapes — sleek  ones 
and  wooly  ones,  large  ones  and  small  ones.  Some  of 
them  are  good  for  hunting,  and  others  for  watching 
camp ;  some  seem  fitted  only  for  barking,  while  there 
are  others  that  will  bite  ;  all  are  lean  and  hungry- 
looking.  When  a  white  man  enters  the  village,  there 
is  at  once  a  regular  pandemonium  of  yelping,  growling, 
and  barking.  It  is  fearful  to  be  beset  with  four  or  five 
hundred  such  snarling,  ugly-looking  curs  as  are  found 
in  an  Indian  village. 

They  have  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats  in  large 
herds.  These  are  seen  in  many  parts  of  the  valley, 
with  Indian  herders  lying  around  watching  them.  They 
do  no  farming.  I  have  often  seen  it  stated  that  the 
Ute  Indians  are  great  farmers.  Ten  acres  will  cover 
all  the  little  patches  that  are  cultivated  throughout  the 
whole  tribe.  The  hoe  is  the  principal  implement  used 
in  tilling  these  patches.  They  make  no  hay,  since  the 
country  abounds  in  grass,  winter  and  summer.  Snow 
does  not  fall  deep  nor  remain  long.  The  valley  is  so 
situated  that  the  sun  shines  into  it  lengthwise,  and  the 
climate  is,  in  consequence,  unusually  warm,  consider- 
ing the  fact  that  the  valley  is  six  thousand  feet  above 
sea  level. 

Ten  miles  farther  up  the  river  we  came  to  the 
new  Los  Pinos  Agency.  Major  Wheeler  was  at  this 
time  acting  as  distributing  Agent  for  the  Ute  Indians. 


MORAL  AND    DESCRIPTIVE.  271 

Here  the  Indians  would  gather  in  for  the  supplies  dis- 
tributed by  the  agent  and  furnished  by  the  United 
States  government.  There  are  only  a  few  buildings 
here,  erected  by  the  Government,  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  a  distributing  depot.  They  have  an  Agency  Post- 
Office.  Not  that  the  Indians  need  such  an  institution, 
however,  for  none  of  them  can  read.  They  all  talk 
broken  Spanish  and  Indian  quite  glibly.  Twenty-five 
miles  on  up  the  river  we  came  to  Ouray  City.  This 
is  a  bustling  mining  town  of  perhaps  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  principally  prospecting  miners.  Saloons 
are  plenty,  and  there  are  more  stores  than  are  needed 
for  the  place,  for  they  are  all  running  behind.  Not 
that  there  is  not  a  demand  for  goods,  but  cash  is 
scarce ;  cheek,  and  promises  to  pay,  seem  to  be  the 
chief  currency  01  the  place. 

At  this  place  we  unloaded  our  wagons  and  sold 
out,  taking  almost  anything  we  could  get.  We  sold 
at  ruinous  prices.  We  got  cash  in  part,  and  promises 
to  pay  for  the  rest,  and  experience  has  shown  me  that 
they  will  be  promises  to  pay  for  a  long  time  to  come. 
And  such  is  life! 


272  HOW  I  KNOW. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

SHALL   THE   YOUNG  MAN   GO    WEST? 

NOW  I  am  once  again  in  a  mining  community. 
Here,  as  in  every  mining  region,  we  find  that 
other  branches  of  industry  are  very  limited,  and  that 
everything  depends  upon  the  development  of  the  mines. 
Quartz  mining  is  always  located  in  rocky  regions, 
where  fruits,  vegetables,  and  grain  cannot  be  cultiva- 
ted. The  consequence  is  that  everything  which  miners 
consume,  or  need,  must  be  shipped  from  other  points. 
A  prosperous  mining  town  is  always,  therefore,  a  good 
market-place  for  vegetables  and  provisions  of  all  kinds. 
They  command  a  fair  or  high  price,  owing  to  the  dis- 
tance they  are  shipped,  and  the  amount  on  the  market. 
American  mining  enterprises  are  generally  carried 
on  by  corporations,  which  wield  powers  unknown  in 
any  other  country.  These,  in  their  efforts  to  make 
dividends  on  fictitious  capital,  reduce  the  wages  of  their 
employes  as  low  as  practicable*  and,  except  at  com- 
peting points,  burden  production  by  heavy  and  discrim- 
inating rates  for  transportation.  No  such  tremendous 
power  was  ever  concentrated  elsewhere  in  the  hands  of 
a  few  men,  as  is  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  the  men 
who  control  these  great  corporations.  A  few  men  rule 
the  whole  mining  business  throughout  the  West.  They 
put  rates  up  or  down  at  pleasure.  They  wield  a  power 
which  absolute  monarchs  would  hesitate  to  exercise. 


SHALL    THE   TOUNG  MAN  GO    WEST.  273 

They  generally  have  no  permanent  investment  of  stock 
in  any  of  their  corporations.  The  business  is  usually 
built  up  by  loans  on  the  donated  property,  and  the 
excess  of  stock,  when  disposed  of,  goes  into  the  pock- 
ets of  the  ruling  faction,  who  are  stock-holders  and 
directors.  These  men  own  (subject  to  the  liens  upon 
them)  and  absolutely  control  said  incorporations,  which 
have  cost  them  comparatively  nothing,  and  out  of 
which  they  realize  vast  riches.  They  have  the  full 
control  of  the  money  and  stock,  and  have  no  fear  of 
competition.  They  generally  control  all  the  approaches 
to  their  magnificence. 

Secure  in  their  chartered  rights,  there  can  be  no 
interference  with  their  liberal  privileges.  Unrestrained 
in  their  traffic,  they  control  the  transportation  of  the  pro- 
ductions, and  in  no  small  measure,  the  labor  of  a  country 
vast  enough  and  rich  enough  for  an  empire.  Whenever 
two  such  contending  parties  begin  to  strive  for  suprem- 
acy, then  good  times  come  with  a  rush  for  the  little  folks 
on  the  outside.  The  indications  of  prosperity  can  then 
be  seen  in  the  crowded  stores,  in  the  busy  workshops, 
in  the  hopeful  and  happy  faces  of  miners,  mechanics, 
and  speculators ;  in  every  department  of  industry,  in 
the  active  stock  market,  in  the  mining  stock  board,  in 
the  increased  clearings.  They  can  be  seen  in  the  bouy- 
ant  spirits  of  men  in  every  branch  of  trade,  and  in  the 
increased  confidence  of  those  with  money,  and  of  hope 
among  those  without  money.  They  open  up  fair  fields, 
rich  in  the  promises  of  a  glorious  harvest.  There  are 

new  enterprises  started,  which  were  never  thought  of 

18 


274  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

before;  and  these,  when  once  started,  are  pushed  on 
rapidly  to  completion.  These  are  days  of  buying  and 
selling — money  is  plenty,  and  business  and  speculation, 
in  all  directions,  are  brisk  and  lively.  But  it  is  soon 
apparent  to  all  that  the  circulating  capital  is  accumu- 
lating in  the  hands  of  the  capitalist.  Now,  this  is  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  trade,  and  must,  inevitably, 
take  place.  The  majority  of  the  community  are  not 
hoarders  of,  or  dealers  in  money,  but  spenders  of 
money.  Give  them  any  quantity  of  it,  and  they  will 
soon  part  with  it  for  something  more  desirable.  The 
consequence  is,  that  it  then  finds  its  way  into  the  hands 
of  the  people  who  make  it  their  business  to  hoard  it, 
or  loan  it  at  high  rates;  and  no  injustice  has  been  done 
to  any  class.  Yet  corporations,  as  conducted,  work 
injury  to  all  classes.  One  word  more,  and  then  I  will 
open  up  another  subject. 

If  the  naturalness  of  the  laws  of  classification  of 
business  was  fully  understood,  and,  also,  the  fact  that 
money  is  only  really  a  commodity,  subject  to  the  same 
laws  of  exchange,  supply  and  demand  as  other  things,  it 
would  go  far  toward  uprooting  the  pestilential  econo- 
mic heresies,  which  are  such  fruitful  breeders  of 
popular  discontent.  The  tillers  of  the  soil  are  the  real 
sovereigns  of  labor,  and  of  manly  independence.  A 
glance  at  the  history  of  our  own  country,  and  at  the 
present  condition  of  industry  in  England  and  the  conti- 
nental nations,  should  be  sufficient  to  make  even  the 
chronic  grumbler  reasonably  contented.  It  is  question- 
able whether  there  has  ever  been  a  time,  since  the 


SHALL    THE    YOUNG  MAN  GO    WEST.  275 

discovery  of  America,  when  a  large  class  of  people 
were  not  complaining  of  hard  times,  and  the  scarcity 
of  money.  Some  point  to  other  days  as  "  the  good  old 
times,"  when  money  was  plenty  and  business  lively. 
We  can  all  have  money  if  we  earn  and  save  it. 

Having  expressed  myself  as  I  have  about  the  incor- 
porated companies,  and  their  control  of  the  mining 
interests  of  the  West,  some  might  think  I  would 
guarantee  fortunes  to  all  who  would  come  West.  I 
cannot  do  that.  You  know  some  men  will  succeed  in 
anything  anywhere,  while  others  will  fail  in  everything 
everywhere.  I  desire  to  be  no  obstacle  to  hinder  the 
success  of  the  first,  nor  can  I  prevent  the  failure  of  the 
last,  though  I  may  aid  in  shaping  the  destiny  of  each. 
And,  even  should  I  do  neither,  I  am  not  likely  to  learn 
of  my  instrumentality  in  the  latter  case,  or  to  hear  the 
last  of  it  in  the  former.  I  will  assume  the  pressure. 
It  is  my  purpose  and  effort  to  make  clear  to  the  public 
a  description  of  the  West. 

Now,  mines  can  be  bought  here  at  prices  ranging 
from  a  few  hundred  to  a  million  or  more  dollars.  Pros- 
pects are  for  sale  for  from  a  few  hundreds  up  to  many 
thousands  of  dollars,  and  mining  claims  from  fifty  dollars 
up  to  some  hundreds.  To  obtain  the  immense  sums 
asked  for  some  of  these  mines,  owners  must  show  that 
their  mines  have  yielded  thousands  of  dollars'  worth,  or 
millions,  as  the  case  may  be,  of  the  precious  metals. 
They  may  never  yield  as  much  again,  however;  for, 
though  in  sight,  to  an  apparently  vast  extent,  that 
extent  and  value  can  only  be  guessed.  Still,  men  will 


276  PIOW  I  KNOW. 

i 

pay  millions  for  a  mine  that  has  been  mined,  who  would 
not  pay  thousands  for  a  prospect  that  has  not  been 
mined.  Others  will  pay  thousands  for  a  prospect,  who 
(would  not  pay  hundreds  for  a  single  claim',  which  some- 
times sells  for  a  few  dollars,  and  proves  of  as  much 
value  as  either  of  the  others.  Hence,  all  have  a  sell- 
ing value  fluctuating  widely  from  day  to  day,  being 
governed  by  influences  peculiar  to  mining  districts. 
There  are  numerous  instances  on  record  here,  as  else- 
where, where  claims  have  been  sold  at  large  prices, 
that  proved  worthless  when  worked.  We  often  see 
mines  of  this  class  that  have  been  aban- 
doned for  years;  and  there  are  hundreds 
of  others  whose  owners  would  be  much 
better  off  if  they  would  quit  and  let  the 
claims  go.  Again,  there  are  others  that 
have  cost  their  present  owners  very  little, 
which  have  become  of  great  value  when 
developed.  The  sturdy  prospector,  when 
PRICE.  ne  finds  himself  the  owner  of  a  single 
undeveloped  claim,  though  it  be  with  rather  unpromis- 
ing surface  indications,  directs  all  his  first  efforts  to 
testing  its  value,  instead  of  wasting  them  in  sinking  a 
dozen  more  or  less  assessment  shafts,  on  as  many  ad- 
jacent claims,  which  could  afterwards  be  purchased  at 
almost  any  offer. 

The  success  of  judicious  investments  in  partly  de- 
veloped claims  is  oftentimes  well  illustrated.  There 
has  been  an  expenditure  of  a  vast  amount  of  money 
and  labor  in  some  of  these  San  Juan  districts  to 


HE,  PAID  A  BIG 


SHALL   THE  TOUNG  MAN  GO  WEST.  277 

establish  confidence  with  capitalists  in  the  wealth  of 
some  of  these  districts.  One  great  feature  in  the  es- 
tablishing of  a  camp  is  to  get  men  to  believe  there  is 
no  other  camp  comparatively  its  equal,  and  another  is 
to  have  daily  acquisitions  of  men  who  have  faith  in  the 
theory,  that  underlying  the  entire  district  is  a  body  of 
rich  minerals  practically  inexhaustible,  and  who,  hav- 
ing means  to  demonstrate  the  truth  of  the  theory,  will 
use  money  to  do  so.  Always  try  to  keep  the  outlook 
of  a  camp  away  in  advance  of  what  it  really  is.  Keep 
mercantile  interests  well  represented,  if  anything  ahead 
of  the  mineral  developments — the  more  rapid  and  the 
farther  ahead,  the  better  prospect  for  the  excitement 
which  must  come  to  a  camp  before  its  merits  are  no- 
ticed. Wherever  mineral  is  discovered,  crowds  soon 
become  simply  enormous.  Hundreds  of  the  new  ar- 
rivals have  not  a  cent  in  their  pockets  and  no  way  of 
obtaining  money.  Hundreds  of  men  line  the  streets 
every  day,  idle,  because  they  cannot  obtain  work. 

Here  in  south-western  Colorado  are  numerous  min- 
ing camps,  and  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people  are 
continually  on  the  move  hither  and  thither,  drifting 
toward  the  latest  excitements.  And  the  truth  about 
the  San  Juan  regions  has  not  and  cannot  be  told  on 
paper,  because  as  long  as  the  excitements  continue  to 
(start,  the  cry  is,  "Still  they  come!"  Neither  snow  nor 
cold  seem  to  offer  any  obstacle  to  the  anxious  crowd 
of  crazy  fortune-hunters,  who  are  rushing  to  this  coun- 
try, supposed  to  be  rich  in  carbonates  and  other  ores. 
It  is  true  that  mines  are  in  some  cases  paying.  It  is 


278  HOW  I  KNOW. 

equally  as  true  that  not  one  in  five  hundred,  who  flock 
here  to  make  their  fortunes  by  digging  for  minerals,  suc- 
ceeds in  making  any  more  than  a  precarious  living.  The 
temptation  held  out  by  prospects  of  sudden  wealth  over- 
comes all  obstacles,  and  thousands  upon  thousands  of  per- 
sons, who  were  making  good  wages  at  home,  come  here 
to  find  disappointment  of  the  most  bitter  and  perplexing 
kind.  Unable  to  make  discoveries  that  will  warrant  cap- 
italists in  investing  their  means,  failing  in  their  efforts  to 
obtain  employment  at  rates  that  promise  immediate 
wealth,  they  become  discouraged  and  dejected,  and  re- 
sort to  the  cup,  and  in  a  short  time  the  story  is  told. 
This  is  by  no  means  a  fancy  sketch,  as  any  one  not 
misled  as  to  the  circumstances  can  inform  you. 

In  view  of  what  I  have  seen  in  my  long  stay  in  the 
West,  I  think  that  any  one  who  encourages  immigration 
to  mining  regions  incurs  a  grave  responsibility.  And, 
from  what  I  have  seen,  it  seems  probable  to  my  mind 
that,  if  the  immigration  still  continues  as  it  has  for  a  few 
years  past,  the  mountain  ranges  will  soon  be  whitened 
with  the  bones  of  men  who  have  died  from  hunger  and 
cold;  for  it  is  impossible  for  the  country  to  feed  so 
many.  You  may  take  the  richest  mining  country  ever 
struck  on  the  globe,  and  there  is  less  than  one  in  ten 
of  the  prospectors  who  ever  discover  any  thing.  But 
this  dismal  prospect  does  not  alter  the  facts  with  regard 
to  the  mines.  And  these  facts  are  readily  ascertained 
by  persons  who  are  competent  to  weigh  evidence,  and 
have  access  to  the  proper  sources  of  information.  This 
San  Juan  country  is  very  different  from  California  or 


SHALL  THE  TOUNG  MAN  GO  WEST. 


279 


Nevada.  Here  we  do  not  find  such  pleasant  regions; 
but  we  do  find  a  barren  wilderness,  more  than  ten  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea,  where  the  soil  will  not  even 
grow  potatoes;  where  snow  falls  every  month  in  the 
year,  and  men  were  frozen  to  death  in  August,  1878. 

Of  Leadville,  every  one  has  heard.  No  discovery 
of  mineral  since  the  California  gold  excitement  of  '48 
and  '49  has  attracted  greater  attention  than  the  discov- 


THESE    DID    NOT    GROW    IN    A    MIXING    REGION. 

ery  and  development  of  the  Leadville  mines  at  the  head 
waters  of  the  Arkansas  River.  Where  Leadville  now 
stands  was  an  old  mining  camp,  which  had  been 
worked  for  gold  from  1859  to  1867.  The  yield  then 
was  considerable.  It  is  said  that,  in  1860,  three  million 
dollars  were  taken  out.  But  the  diggings  were  aban- 
doned in  1867.  In  those  days,  it  is  said,  the  miners 
"daubed"  their  cabins  with  what  was  supposed  to  be 
mud,  but  which  was  really  carbonate,  worth  three  or 
four  hundred  dollars  a  ton. 


280  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Stevens,  of  Lake  Superior  mining  fame, 
a  resident  of  Detroit,  was  the  first  to  undertake  system- 
atic mining  operations  for  silver  in  Leadville.  Old  Cali- 
fornia and  Nevada  miners  scoffed  at  the  idea  of  finding 
anything  of  value  in  the  carbonates.  They  were  soft, 
not  hard.  They  were  "pancake"  deposits,  not  veins. 
The  oldest  and  wisest  among  them  had  never  seen  any 
metal  extracted  from  such  stuff.  Still  Stevens  had  his 
followers,  however.  Numbers  of  men  swarmed  upon 
the  hills,  and  began  to  sink  shafts.  Some  of  them 
were  speedily  rewarded.  Romantic  stories  are  told  of 
the  vicissitudes  of  fortune  which  befell  the  early  dis- 
coverers. How  some  of  them  would  wander  from  store 
to  store,  vainly  begging  for  a  sack  of  flour  to  enable 
them  to  go  on  with  their  work,  who,  since,  in  some  in- 
stances, have  sold  out  for  enormous  sums,  and  now  live 
in  splendor.  How  some  of  them  gave  up  in  despair 
while  others,  on  the  verge  of  desperation,  would  strike 
the  pick  into  the  ground  in  their  rage,  and  would  un- 
cover the  wall  of  a  fissure  vein.  Whatever  of  truth 
there  may  be  in  such  tales,  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  fact 
that  some  rich  carbonates  have  been  struck,  varying  in 
value  from  eight  to  ten  hundred  ounces  per  ton,  and 
some  large  fortunes  have  been  realized  by  the  lucky 
discoverers.  The  carbonates  have  been  found  lying  in 
nearly  horizontal  deposits,  at  depths  of  from  thirty  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  surface.  No 
blasting  is  required  in  the  shafts,  and  the  ore  can  be 
extracted  for  two  dollars  a  ton. 

Such    astonishing  bonanzas,   of   course,   created    an 


SHALL  THE  TOUNG  MAN  GO  WEST.  281 

excitement  far  and  wide.  A  grand  rush  of  men  came 
centering  from  all  quarters,  twelve  thousand  arriving 
in  the  last  three  months  of  1878.  Huge  machinery  for 
smelting  works  and  saw-mills  was  hauled  over  the 
mountains  at  an  enormous  expense.  People  came  by  the 
hundreds  from  Denver,  walking  painfully  for  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  through  the  snow,  by  way  of  the 
canon.  In  December  of  1878  Leadville  was  full  of  men 
who  had  no  homes,  who,  for  want  of  better  lodgings, 
slept  in  the  sawdust  on  the  bar-room  floors.  The  most 
of  these  had  a  little  money,  perhaps  enough  to  get  them 
food  without  working.  They  spent  their  time  in  bar- 
rooms, gambling  houses,  dance  houses,  or  on  the  side- 
walk, discussing  the  last  great  strike.  Half  a  bed  in 
some  miserable  attic  was  worth  two  dollars  a  night. 
Mechanics'  wages  were  from  four  to  five  dollars  a  day. 
Town-lots,  that  were  worth  fifty  dollars  in  October, 
commanded  three  thousand  four  months  after.  This  is 
astonishing.  In  1876  this  region  was  almost  a  wilder- 
ness; now  a  growing,  bustling,  roaring  town  of  twelve 
thousand  inhabitants  forms  the  nucleus  of  a  thriving 
settlement.  These  people  have  gathered  here  from 
all  parts  of  the  compass.  Every  State  and  Territory, 
and  every  "  neck  of  the  woods  "  are  represented.  The 
bulk  of  the  population,  however,  poured  in  from  west- 
ern towns  and  cities,  Chicago  alone  furnishing  a  large 
proportion.  One  paper  said  every  road  led  to  Lead- 
ville, and  every  road  is  lined  with  adventurers  bound 
for  Leadville. 

On  the  occasion  of  a  big  mining  excitement  hun- 


282 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


dreds  of  people  arrive  during  each  twenty-four  hours. 
People  rush  to  the  mines  pell-mell,  expecting  to  dig  up 
great  chunks  of  silver  and  to  become  rich  in  a  day. 
A  majority  of  them  start  with  no  more  money  than 
"will  pay  their  traveling  expenses  and  a  week's  board, 
and  are  in  a  truly  pitiable  plight  when,  with  no  money 
and  nothing  to  do,  they  discover  that  all  those  beauti- 
ful day-dreams  of  riches  acquired  suddenly,  and  without 


AN    OLD    *49ER    NOT    YET    RICH. 

labor,  are  not  to  be  realized.  Even  the  western  papers, 
which  are  interested  in  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
admit  that  the  number  of  moneyless,  idle  men  in  the 
West  is  entirely  too  large.  Many  old  miners  who  have 
been  there  since  the  discoveries  were  first  made,  and 
have  been  doing  their  level  best  to  earn  a  livelihood, 
are  still  destitute.  The  mines  are  bonanzas,  but  men 


SHALL  THE  TOUNG  MAN  GO  WEST.        283' 

of  capital  usually  harvest  the  profits.  Brains  and 
muscle,  without  money,  amount  to  little  in  an  ex- 
citement. 

Here  in  the  mountains  poverty  is  of  the  most  prac- 
tical and  unpoetic  sort.  It  means  association  with 
reckless  adventurers  and  desperadoes,  and  no  proba- 
bility of  rising  above  that  level.  It  means  scarcely 
anything  to  eat;  nothing  but  water  to  drink,  and  no 
railroad  ticket  for  any  other  point.  It  means  the  se- 
verest hardships,  which  men  are  ever  compelled  to  en- 
dure in  this  country.  I  have  conversed  freely  with 
the  best  citizens  of  the  West  upon  this  question,  and  I 
have  yet  to  find  one  whose  sentiments  are  not  fairly 
reflected  by  the  foregoing  statement.  There  is  abun- 
dant room  for  men  of  moderate  means  or  for  capitalists. 
All  over  the  mountains  the  mineral  is  deposited  in 
strata  as  rich,  no  doubt,  as  any  yet  discovered,  and 
only  awaits  capital  to  take  it  out.  It  is  difficult  to  fur- 
nish employment  to  a  hundred  men  when  there  is 
only  sufficient  to  engage  one-fifth  or  one-tenth  of  that 
number. 

This  is  the  status  of  the  case  in  the  West.  The 
towns  are  filled  with  men,  anxious  to  obtain  employ- 
ment, food  and  lodgings;  but  they  can  find  neither. 
Food  is  plenty,  but  these  persons  have  nothing  with 
which  to  purchase  it.  The  hammer  of  the  mechanic 
can  be  heard  in  every  city,  in  every  quarter,  and  at 
nearly  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  But  there  is  a 
limit  to  the  employment  of  skilled  labor.  Large  num- 
bers of  men  are  engaged  in  carrying  on  the  different 


284 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


branches  of  industry.      But   there   are   three   idle   for 
every  one  at  work. 

When  night  comes  on  scores  of  them  sleep  wher- 
ever they  can  get  an  opportunity  to  lie  down  on  the 
floor.  I  have  seen  them  also  under  houses,  barns, 
trees,  and  even  out  in  the  open  air,  unprotected  from 
the  weather,  except  by  a  thin  woolen  blanket.  Lodg- 
ing cannot  be  obtained  without  money,  and  people  rush 
in  here,  without  having  the  where- 
withal necessary  to  furnish  personal 
comforts.  In  some  cases  of  extreme 
hunger,  some  live  on  "floaters;"  that 
is,  they  gather  the  crumbs  and  crusts 
from  waste  baskets  and  swill  tubs, 
and  eat  these.  I  have  seen  men, 
who  could  get  nothing  to  eat,  thus 
fishing  in  swill  buckets  for  scraps, 
and  eating  things  that  have  been 
thrown  from  the  tables  for  the  pigs 
and  chickens. 

I  will  gladly  leave  this  subject,  for 
I  feel  it  none  of  the  best  to  talk  about.  Although  I 
have  said  nothing  but  what  I  can  easily  verify  by 
witnesses,  many  of  them  men  who  will  readily  ac- 
knowledge that  they  were  in  the  same  boat,  adrift 
without  money,  without  friends,  and  without  home, 
bread,  or  bed.  One  of  the  most  painful  sights  in 
this  world  is  to  see  poor,  way-faring  mortals,  in  their 
helpless  poverty,  thus  compelled  to  throw  them- 
selves entirely  upon  the  mercies  of  strangers.  They 


DEAD  BROKE. 


SHALL    THE   TOUNG  MAN  GO   WEST.  285 

are  willing  enough  to  work,  but  there  is  no  work 
to  do;  consequently,  they  are  left  to  beg  and  starve. 
But  some  may  object,  and  say  that  no  one  ever  yet 
starved  in  America.  But  I  know  that  persons  have 
starved,  for  I  have  seen  it.  I  say  this  is  a  deplorable 
condition  for  men  and  women  to  come  to. 

Were  it  not  for  the  hospitable  people  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, one-tenth  of  the  permanent  population  of  that  city 
would  be  dead  in  less  than  six  months,  and  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  transient  population  would  starve  daily.  And 
yet,  San  Francisco  furnishes  the  cheapest  living,  and  sets 
tables  covered  with  the  choicest  fruits,  and  has  the  great- 
est number  of  wealthy  men,  according  to  the  population 
pro  rata,  of  any  city  in  the  United  States.  She  has  nicer 
churches,  and  more  infidels;  greater  heaps  of  yellow 
gold,  and  yet  more  poverty;  magnificent  places  of  amuse- 
ment, and  yet  more  misery;  a  splendid  climate,  and  yet 
more  suicides;  many  most  excellent  citizens,  and  yet 
more  leading  lives  of  gambling,  wickedness  and  sin, 
than  any  other  city  in  America. 

So  in  other  places,  also,  the  times  are  different  from 
what  they  were  a  few  years  ago,  when  the  country 
was  new,  and  before  the  people  had  commenced  to  rush 
to  the  West  without  some  ideas  of  their  own  before 
they  started.  Now  it  seems  that  as  soon  as  a  young 
man  in  the  East  gets  money  enough  to  carry  him  to 
the  West,  even  though  he  sacrifice  friends  and  a  re- 
munerative position,  without  any  object  whatever  in 
view,  only  to  get  West,  away  he  goes.  When  he  gets 
here  he  finds  all  the  mercantile  houses  well  filled  with 


286  HOW  I  KNOW. 

clerks  and  salesmen.  The  schools  are  supplied  with 
teachers.  The  mines  have  a  surplus  supply  of  miners, 
and,  in  fact,  every  branch  of  labor,  science,  or  skill 
has  already  a  surplus  of  "  needies  "  to  support. 

To  those  with  little  means  I  would  say:  If  you  have 
been  or  are  now  contemplating  going  to  the  West,  you 
will  find  it  hard  to  get  there,  and  much  harder  to  get 
away.  The  best  policy  is  to  stay  where  you  are  doing 
well,  and  let  "try  to  do  better  by  going  West"  alone. 
To  those  who  have  plenty  of  money  I  have  only  to  say: 
You  know  how  you  got  it,  and,  if  you  would  travel 
with  it,  you  can  behold  untold  grandeur  in  the  works 
of  Nature  and  of  man  by  traveling  in  the  West.  You  may 
behold  its  many  rocky  heights,  some  of  them  covered 
with  perpetual  snow.  You  may  descend  into  valleys  of 
continual  spring  where  snow  never  falls.  What  a  marked 
difference  of  atmospheric  temperature  one  day's  travel 
will  make!  'You  can  go  from  the  cold,  chilly  mount- 
ains, where  ice  and  snow  are  thick  and  deep,  to 
where  it  is  Spring  and  the  flowers  are  blooming  in 
their  many  different  colors  of  beauty.  The  change  is 
so  sudden  that  one  almost  imagines  himself  in  a  new 
world  of  glory,  and  such,  indeed,  it  is  to  one  who  has 
been  in  the  chilly  hills  for  a  year  or  so. 

I  am  going  to  close  this  chapter,  and  soon  my  book. 
I  am  leaving  out  many  things  that  are  interesting;  but 
I  cannot  undertake  to  write  them  all.  I  have  some- 
times thought  as  the  puzzled  Englishman  did.  I  will 
copy  his  experience.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in  high 
altitudes,  owing  to  the  rarified  condition  of  the  atmos- 


SHALL  THE  TOUNG  MAN  GO  WEST.  287 

phere,  objects  are  visible  at  a  great  distance.  At 
the  city  of  Denver  the  Rocky  Mountains,  although 
some  sixteen  miles  distant,  seem  to  be  very  near  by. 
An  English  gentleman,  a  tourist,  came  in  on  the 
Kansas  Pacific  train  one  morning,  and  stopped  at  the 
Inter-Ojean  Hotel,  in  Denver.  He  soon  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  two  of  the  old  citizens.  The  Englishman 
was  captivated  with  the  appearance  of  the  mountains, 
and  suggested  to  the  two  old  citizens  that,  as  the 
mountain  range  was  such  a  very  short  distance  from 
the  city,  they  should  all  take  a  walk  to  it,  and  return 
in  time  for  dinner.  The  two  old  citizens  saw  a  chance 
for  some  fun,  and  immediately  consented.  The  trio 
started,  and  walked  toward  the  mountains  for  about 
two  hours  and  a  half;  but  the  mountains  seemed 
as  far  away  as  ever.  The  Englishman  was  a  good 
walker,  and  kept  a  little  in  advance  of  his  friends. 
Finally  they  saw  him  deliberately  sit  down  as  he  came 
to  a  small,  irrigating  ditch,  perhaps  two  feet  wide,  and 
begin  taking  off  his  boots  and  stockings.  When  they 
came  up  to  where  he  was  sitting,  they  asked  him  in 
some  surprise  what  he  was  doing  that  for.  The 
Englishman  said  he  was  going  to  wade  the  stream. 
Both  the  old  citizens,  looking  at  him  in  astonishment, 
asked  him  why  he  didn't  step  across  it. 

"Step  across  it,"  he  replied,  "step  across  it!  Not  I! 
What  do  I  know  about  the  distance  in  your  confounded 
country?  It  may  be  three  hundred  feet  across." 

Now  this  is  not  given,  of  course,  for  a  veritable  fact; 
yet  it  has  a  meaning,  showing  how  deceiving  appear- 


288  HOW  I  KNOW. 

ances  are  to  one  traveling  across  prairies,  valleys,  or 
plains  among  the  mountains.  The  atmosphere  is  purer 
and  lighter  than  at  low  altitudes.  Consequently  the 
eye  can  distinguish  objects  at  a  much  greater  distance 
than  is  realized.  You  see  some  point  at  a  distance, 
and  think  you  can  reach  that  on  horsebacl^  in  two 
hours,  when  you  might  not  arrive  at  it  in  a  day's 
travel.  In  the  mountains  and  canons  sounds  rumble 
and  re-echo  with  greater  force  than  elsewhere.  The 
roar  of  the  thunder  here  is  terrible.  The  lightning  is 
sharper  and  more  brilliant  than  in  low  altitudes.  Water- 
spouts or  "  cloud-bursts  "  are  numerous,  often  sweeping 
large  gullies  out  before  the  roaring  cataract.  Trees, 
houses,  earth,  rock,  everything  standing  in  its  course, 
will  be  swept  on  to  destruction.  Whole  rivers  of 
water  seem  to  fall  from  the  clouds  at  once.  These  are 
more  numerous  in  the  Fall  than  at  any  other  season  of 
the  year.  Sometimes  they  open  up  with  a  noise  of 
thunder  fearful  to  hear,  that  goes  rolling  and  rumbling 
over  the  mountains  to  die  in  the  distance.  Oftentimes 
the  winds  sweep  along  at  the  same  time  with  devastat- 
ing effect. 


A  SPANISH  BULL-FIGHT.  289 

CHAPTER  XXL 

A  SPANISH  BULL-FIGHT. 

AS  I  have  before  said,  the  Western  people  are  great 
lovers  of  amusement.  While  I  was  at  Ojo  Cali- 
enta,  in  Mexico,  there  were  advertisements  posted,  an- 
nouncing that  a  bull-fight  would  take  place  on  a  certain 
day.  I  had  never  seen  a  fight  between  a  man  and  a 
bull;  so  here  was  something  new  to  me,  and,  as  I  had 
considerable  curiosity  to  see  how  such  a  fight  would  be 
managed,  I  remained  over  until  the  following  Thurs- 
day to  see  it.  Ojo  Calienta  is  a  very  pretty  little  place; 
but  built  after  the  fashion  of  all  its  sister  towns.  It  is 
peopled  with  Spaniards  and  Mexicans.  I  did  not  see 
an  American,  while  we  remained  in  the  town,  other 
than  the  members  of  our  own  little  party.  There  are 
about  one  thousand  inhabitants. 

The  country  people  began  to  flock  into  town  two 
days  before  the  time  set  for  the  fight,  and  some  of  the 
comers  were  hardly  of  the  first  families  of  Mexico. 
The  place  was  soon  crowded  with  people  from  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Long  before  the  time  announced 
for  the  fight  to  begin,  I  made  my  way  to  the  corral. 
I  had  waited  to  see  the  fight,  and  did  not  wish  to  be 
deprived  of  the  opportunity.  So  I  went  early  to  get 
a  favorable  position.  I  found  quite  a  number  already 
assembled.  I  went  forward,  and  secured  a  front  seat; 
then  I  began  a  survey  of  all  the  arrangements  for  the 

tQ 


290 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


entertainment.  The  fight  was  to  take  place  in  a  corral 
that  was  enclosed  with  high  adobe  walls,  so  high  that 
neither  man  nor  beast  could  break  out.  On  three  sides 
of  this  corral  a  strong  scaffolding  has  been  raised  to  a 
level  with  the  wall,  gradually  rising  higher  as  it  re- 
ceded. On  this,  seats  had  been  prepared  for  all  those 
wishing  to  witness  the  sport. 

From  my  seat  I  could  see  everything.     I  watched 
to  see  the  character  of  the  spectators  as  they  gathered. 
I  saw  the  old,  white-haired  Mexicans,  with  faces  fur- 
rowed  by   deep- 
set  wrinkles;    so 
old  and   bent-up 
that  they  had  to 
be  assisted  to  their 
seats.     The  aged 
crone  was  there, 
browned    and 
withered.  Young 
women    were 
MEXICAN  OUTLAWS.  there    in    large 

numbers,  some  of  them  with  pure  wThite  complexions, 
and  eyes  as  black  as  coals,  and  hair  of  the  same  color, 
long  enough  to  reach  the  ground.  The  married  man  was 
there,  with  his  arms  full  of  children  and  bundles.  The 
young  man  was  there  with  his  beloved  maiden  in  her 
very  ornamental  dress.  Many  of  the  lady  spectators 
were  of  pure  Castilian  blood,  and  good-looking  enough 
to  be  the  belles  of  any  society  or  civilized  community. 
With  their  long,  black  hair  and  their  sparkling,  black 


A  SPANISH  BULL-FIGHT. 


291 


eyes;  their  clear,  white  complexion,  and  their  gaudy 
dress,  selected  more  on  account  of  brilliancy  of  color 
than  of  any  other  quality,  and  with  forms  as  symmet- 
rical and  graceful  as  can  be  found  in  any  clime,  I 
thought  them  as  beautiful  a  group  of  the  fair  sex  as  I 
had  ever  seen  anywhere.  The  young  men,  darker-col- 
ored than  their  sisters,  were  there  with  their  broad-brim- 
med hats,  from  under  which  a  pair  of  brilliant  eyes 
shone  out,  apparently  taking  in  all  the  surroundings  at  a 
glance.  And,  from  their  dark  scowling  at  one  another, 
I  concluded  I  could  eas- 
ily guess  their  thoughts. 
Some  of  these  fellows 
were  well-dressed,  while 
others  wore  only  a  hat, 
sandals  and  breech-cloth. 
At  length  the  Mexi- 
can, who  was  to  be  the 
principal  actor  in  the 
scene,  stepped  into  the 

Corral.       He     Was     not     a          MEXICAN  MAIDEN,  LOWER  CLASS. 

large  man,  but  well-built  and  powerful.  He  was 
dressed  suitably  for  the  occasion,  with  a  pair  of  light 
and  close-fitting  pants,  the  waist-band  of  which  was 
encircled  with  a  large,  red  morocco  belt.  On  his  feet 
he  wore  neat-fitting,  light  slippers,  fastened  with  flash- 
ing buckles.  A  short  staff,  which  he  carried  in  his 
hand,  and  a  knife  in  his  belt  were  his  only  weapons  for 
the  deadly  encounter,  in  which  he  was  about  to  engage. 
The  crowd  had  grown  somewhat  impatient  with  wait- 


292  HOW  I  KNOW. 

ing  for  the  entertainment  to  begin.  I  had  been  enjoy- 
ing myself  very  much  looking  at  the  many  fantastic 
and  grotesque  spectators  gathered  around  me. 

But,  when  the  glaring,  pawing  bull  was  let  in  sud- 
denly through  a  side  door,  an  awful  sensation  shot 
through  my  whole  frame.  I  could  but  feel  a  strong 
sense  of  fear  and  dread  at  the  awful  tragedy  about  to 
begin ;  and  I  think  a  sort  of  presentiment  of  some- 
thing terrible  thrilled  the  entire  multitude.  Every 
noise  was  hushed  into  perfect  silence,  more  quickly  than 
I  can  write  this  sentence.  The  animal  was  large,  power- 
ful, and  active.  As  he  stood  there,  pawing  and  snorting, 
his  very  hair  seemed  to  stand  out  threateningly.  He 
looked  like  a  terrible  opponent  to  meet  in  single  com- 
bat. One  of  the  guardsmen  gave  him  a  thrust  with  a 
sharp-pointed  lance,  and,  simultaneously,  others  in  at- 
tendance commenced  to  wave  their  red  flags  in  front 
of  him.  The  matadore,  all  this  time,  stood  near  the 
center  of  the  arena,  as  firm  and  still  as  a  post.  I 
looked  to  see  him  falter,  or  show  some  sign  of  fear. 
I  could  not  see  the  least  change  of  color  in  his  face, 
as  he  stood  watching  the  beast,  and  expecting  a  rush 
at  any  moment. 

I  sat  looking  at  the  man,  and  then  at  the  beast, 
wondering  how  the  battle  would  begin.  I  had  not 
long  to  wait,  for  the  animal  had  now  been  tormented 
into  such  a  state  of  fury,  that  his  eyes  looked  almost 
green  with  rage.  With  a  roar,  that  was  terrible  to 
all  who  heard  it,  he  dashed  suddenly  at  the  matadore, 
with  his  head  down,  with  the  evident  purpose  of  toss- 


A    SPANISH  BULL-FIGHT. 


293 


ing  him  into  eternity.  I  watched  him  rushing  until  I 
felt  sure  that  his  horns  had  reached  their  aim. 
But,  no.  The  Mexican  sprang  to  one  side  with  the 
agility  of  a  cat,  dodging  the  horns  of  the  angry  beast, 
and,  as  the  animal  passed  him,  he  punched  him  lightly 
with  his  staff,  but  still  enough  to  enrage  him  all  the 
more.  The  bull,  finding  himself  baffled,  turned,  and, 
with  more  fury  than  ever,  dashed  at  him  again,  only 
to  be  again  evaded,  and  thrust  harder  than  before  by 
his  adversary.  Time  after  time  the  enraged  beast 
would  renew  the  encoun- 
ter, but  with  no  better 
success;  and,  every  time 
the  man  would  so  nimbly 
spring  out  of  the  way, 
the  audience  would 
applaud  and  cheer  loudly. 
The  fight  was  kept 
up  in  this  wray  until  the 
animal  was  completely 
exhausted,  and  could 
not  be  brought  to  renew  the  combat.  The  man  was 
then  declared  the  winner,  amid  the  loud  applause  of 
the  multitude. 

Another  fight  was  immediately  announced  to  come 
off  in  one-half  hour,  between  the  same  man  and  an- 
other bull.  We  all  remained  seated,  watching  some 
wrestling  and  jumping,  which,  by  the  way,  was  nothing 
extra.  After  about  an  hour's  time  another  bull  was  let 
into  the  corral.  This  last  was  a  much  smaller  animal 


PUEBLO    CACIQJJE,  NEW    MEXICO. 


294 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


than  the  first,  but  more  ferocious,  for  he  made  direct 
for  his  antagonist.  The  matadore  successfully  employed 
the  same  tactics  as  in  the  first  combat,  until  several 
rounds  were  fought,  and  we  were  all  beginning  to  think 
that  it  would  terminate  like  the  first. 

But  this  was  not  to  be  the  case;  for,  all  at  once,  the 
man  either  slipped,  or  made  a  miscalculation,  and  the 
bull  caught  him  on  his  horns,  and  tossed  him  far  over 
to  one  side,  near  the  wall.  The  man  fell  with  a  heavy 
thud  on  the  ground,  badly  hurt.  The  bull  made  at  him 

again.  Then  ensued  a 
scene  far  different  from 
anything  that  had  yet 
been  seen  that  day. 
Women  and  children 
were  screaming  with 
terror.  Several  of  the 
men,dreading  accidents, 
began  to  shoot  the  bull. 
The  spectators,  rush- 
MEXICAN  INDIANS.  ing  together  in  their 

terror,  broke  down  some  of  the  scaffolding,  and  several 
were  hurt  in  that  way.  They  succeeded  in  killing  the 
bull,  before  he  had  killed  the  matadore.  But  the  man 
was  so  severely  hurt  that  he  had  to  be  carried  from 
the  field,  and  placed  under  the  care  of  surgeons  and 
nurses.  There  was  such  a  crowd  around  him,  that  I 
did  not  get  to  see  how  badly  he  was  injured.  A  general 
commotion  followed  the  killing  of  the  animal.  Every- 
thing was  in  confusion;  every  one  seemed  to  be  trying 


A   SPANISH  BULL-FIGHT.  295 

to  reach  the  ground  first.  As  soon  as  the  man  was 
taken  from  the  ground,  the  crowd  scattered  in  different 
directions,  toward  their  homes. 

I  was  told  that  neither  one  of  the  fights  was  com- 
pleted, as  the  man  generally  kills  the  bull  by  striking 
a  knife  deep  into  his  neck.  I  do  not  know  how  that 
may  be,  but  I  do  know  that  I  will  never  be  a  witness 
to  another  bull-fight.  It  is  a  most  horrible  sight  to 
look  upon.  But,  then,  this  is  no  new  thing  among  the 
Spanish  people,  for  bull-fighting  has  been  carried  on  as 
an  amusement  among  them  for  ages.  I  would  not  go 
into  a  corral,  and  fight  one  bull,  for  all  the  money  there 
is  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


296  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

0 

THE   INDIANS. 

~^HE  general  character  of  the  Indians  is  very  sim- 
JL  ilar  throughout  all  the  many  different  tribes. 
There  is  but  very  little  difference  in  their  habits  and 
customs. 

Their  wigwams  are  built  of  small  poles  and  skins, 
and  most  always  in  the  form  of  a  pyramidal  tent.  The 
top  is  open.  A  low  door-way  is  cut  or  left  in  the  tent, 
over  which  the  skin  of  some  animal  is  usually  hung. 
The  entrance  is  so  low  that  one  must  stoop  to  enter. 
In  the  center  of  the  hut,  or  wigwam,  a  small  fire  is 
built,  and  all  the  inmates  gather  close  enough  around  it 
to  almost  smother  it  out.  Nearly  all  the  Indians  are  now 
in  possession  of  some  goods,  obtained  from  the  white 
people;  hence,  you  will  often  see  an  iron  pot,  either  on 
or  close  by  the  fire,  containing  meat,  or  other  food. 
The  wigwam  is,  of  course,  almost  always  full  of  smoke. 

The  floor  is  strewn  with  the  skins  of  animals,  on 
which  they  lounge.  They  sleep  on  these  skins,  lying 
in  a  circle  around  the  fire.  Each  wigwam  accommo- 
dates about  seven  or  eight  sleepers. 

The  Indians  are  natural  hunters.  Some  of  the  tribes 
possess  a  great  many  excellent  horses.  They  wander 
and  hunt  over  a  vast  scope  of  country.  The  Indians 
have  certain  days  of  festivity  and  public  rejoicing, 
when  large  crowds  of  them  assemble  together.  They 


THE  INDIANS. 


297 


then  have,  as  the  principal  part  of  the  day's  entertain- 
ment, horse-races,  foot-races,  and  wrestling-matches. 
Shooting  at  a  mark  is  another  one  of  their  pastimes, 
which  is  indulged  in  by  the  hour.  They  usually  select 


INDIAN    WIGWAM. 


as  a  target,  some  object  on  a  steep  hillside,  and  then 
watch,  by  the  little  puff  of  dust,  to  see  where  the  ball 
strikes.  Each  shot,  be  it  good  or  bad,  produces  the 
same  effect  upon  the  swarthy  spectators. 

The  Indians  are  always  ready  to  trade  for  horses  or 


298  HOW  I  KNOW. 

guns.  They  never  trade  for  anything  they  cannot  move 
about  with  them.  Often  they  will  exchange  a  splen- 
did horse,  saddle  and  bridle  for  a  gun,  which,  though  it 
may  be  a  good  one,  is  worth  not  more  than  forty  dollars, 
while  the  horse  would,  perhaps,  command  over  one  hun- 
dred dollars.  They  are  all  lovers  of  whisky,  and  when 
they  can  procure  it  in  sufficient  quantities,  they  use  it 
to  great  excess.  When  drunk,  they  are  very  noisy, 
and  some  of  them  are  dangerous. 

Their  modes  of  disposing  of  their  dead  differ  in 
different  tribes.  The  Sioux  place  their  dead  bodies  in 
trees,  or  on  a  platform,  supported  by  four  stakes  driven 
into  the  ground,  whichever  is  the  more  convenient;  for, 
on  the  plains,  sometimes  they  may  be  hundreds  of  miles 
from  timber.  The  Utes  sometimes  bury  the  body  in 
the  ground,  and  sometimes  place  it  along  the  side  of 
some  ledge,  where  it  is  weighted  down  with  rocks.  If 
an  Indian  is  afflicted  with  a  malarial  disease,  he  is  gen- 
erally left  to  get  well  as  best  he  can.  If  he  dies,  his 
body  is  either  left  without  any  attention,  or  is  burned. 
I  was  in  Utah  Territory  when  Black  Hawk,  one  of 
the  war  chiefs  of  the  Indians  there,  died  from  some 
disease  he  had  contracted.  His  people  burned  his 
body,  and  one  of  his  favorite  horses  with  it. 

At  one  time,  near  Manti,  some  of  the  Mormon  boys 
were  following  a  trail  that  led  to  the  mountains  above. 
At  a  certain  place,  where  there  were  ledges  and  bowl- 
ders without  number,  they  heard  some  strange  noise 
proceeding  from  the  rocks.  Upon  investigation  they 
found  an  aged  Indian  woman,  who,  on  account  of  sick- 


THE  INDIANS. 


299 


ness,  had  been  unable  to  keep  up  with  the  train  of  her 
comrades.  They  had,  therefore,  taken  and  weighted 
her  down  with  rocks,  to  suffer  and  starve  to  death; 
and,  but  for  the  timely  assistance  of  the  Mormon  boys, 
who  helped  her  down  to  an  empty  cabin,  outside  of 
town,  where 
she  was  cared 
for,  she  soon 
would  have 
been  where 
n  o  assistance 
could  have 
reached  her. 

The  Indians 
have  doctors, 
or  medicine 
men,  among 
them.  When 
one  of  the  tribe 
is  attacked  with 
sickness  his 
comrades  gath- 
er around  him 
in  the  evening.  BLACK  HAWK. 

Some  of  them  will  walk  around  his  couch,  and  most 
dismally  howl  until  tired  out,  when  fresh  ones  take 
their  places.  Some  will  be  dancing  and  singing  with  all 
their  might.  Others  are  out  in  the  darkness  shooting, 
and  making  all  the  noise  in  their  power.  In  this  way 
they  keep  up  a  dreadful  racket  during  the  whole  night. 


300  HOW  I  KNOW. 

I  have  tried  to  gain  admittance  at  such  times,  but 
always  found  sentinels  surrounding  the  camp,  who 
would  allow  no  one  to  enter.  They  told  me  that  this 


UN    INDIO    BRAVO,    TEXAS. 

demonstration  was  made  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
off  the  evil  spirits,  that  were  supposed  to  hover  around 
the  couch  of  the  sick  one,  ready  to  convey  his  spirit 


THE   INDIANS.  301 

away.  They  think  that,  if  they  can  keep  up  a  sufficient 
noise  and  racket,  they  will  be  able  to  frighten  the  evil 
spirits  away.  The  Indians  are  a  very  superstitious  race 
of  people.  They  believe  in  the  future  existence  of 
mankind,  but  in  this  peculiar  way.  They  think  that,  if 
an  Indian  is  very  courageous  and  brave,  and  obtains  to 
that  higher  point  of  excellence  in  this  life  which,  in 
their  minds,  constitutes  him  a  "big  brave,"  the  good 
spirits  will  hover  around  his  dying  couch,  and,  at  his 
last  breath,  will  speed  away,  on  swift  wings,  with  his 
immortal  spirit  to  a  land  that  is  beautiful  beyond  de- 
scription; filled  writh  sweet,  fragrant  flowers,  and  all 
kinds  of  game  in  never-ending  abundance;  where  he 
may  roam  and  hunt  at  will  by  the  side  of  rivers  of 
clear  water,  filled  with  the  most  beautiful  fish.  Such, 
they  think,  will  be  the  future  home  of  the  good  Indians. 
But,  if  an  Indian  is  not  good  in  their  opinion,  when  he 
dies  his  soul  is  borne  away  on  the  wings  of  an  evil 
spirit,  to  a  land  that  is  barren,  wild,  and  desolate; 
where  there  is  neither  game  nor  fish.  They  seem, 
therefore,  to  have  some  sort  of  wisdom  in  these  mat- 
ters, even  in  their  ignorance,  that  is  far  superior  to 
some  of  the  creeds  and  practices  of  their  more-enlight- 
ened fellow  men.  I  refer  to  Mormonism,  Mohammed- 
anism, and  such  like. 

The  Mormon  obtains  glory  in  a  higher  or  lower 
degree,  according  as  he  increases  his  chances  by  mar- 
rying additional  wives,  each  new  wife  lifting  him  a  step 
higher  toward  perpetual  happiness. 


302  HOW  I  KNOW. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


O 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE. 
[  From  WESTERN  WILDS,  by  permission.*} 

N  a  bright  Sunday  in  June,  1876,  while  the  nation 
was  on  the  top  wave  of  the  Centennial  enthusi- 
asm and  the  opening  of  the  Presidential  campaign,  the 
news  went  flashing  over  the  wires  that  General  George 
A.  Custer  and  all  his  command  lay  dead  in  a  Montana 
valley,  the  victims  of  a  Sioux  massacre.  With  him  had 
died  his  two  brothers,  his  brother-in-law  and  a  nephew; 
and  of  all  that  entered  that  battle  not  one  white  man 
survived.  For  a  brief  space  there  was  hope  that  it 
might  be  a  false  report,  but  soon  followed  official 
papers  which  confirmed  every  ghastly  detail  of  the  first 
dispatches.  For  a  few  days  the  public  sorrow  overcame 
all  other  considerations;  then,  by  natural  revulsion,  sor- 
row gave  place  to  indignation,  and  that  in  turn  to  a 
fierce  demand  for  investigation  and  a  victim.  The 
public  must  have  a  victim  when  there  has  been  a  mis- 
fortune. Then  ensued  a  performance  which  was  no 
credit  to  us  as  a  nation.  His  opponents  attacked  Pres- 
ident Grant  as  the  real  cause  "of  Custer' s  death;  his 
friends  foolishly  defended  the  President  by  criticising 

*To  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Beadle,  author,  and  Messrs.  Jones  Brothers 
&  Co.,  of  Cincinnati,  publishers,  of  that  very  able  work,  WESTERN  WILDS, 
I  am  indebted  for  this  chapter  on  The  Custer  Massacre,  and  the  following 
one  on  Where  Shall  ive  Settle?  which  I  am  sure  my  readers  will  find  both 
very  interesting  and  very  valuable.  THE  AUTHOR. 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  303 

Custer;  the  latter's  friends  in  the  army  savagely  at- 
tacked Major  Reno  and  Captain  Benteen  as  being  the 
cause  of  the  General's  misfortunes,  and  thus  the  many- 
sided  fight  went  on.  Before  stating  any  facts  bearing 
on  this  issue,  a  brief  sketch  of  General  Custer's  previous 
experience  on  the  plains  is  in  order. 

George  Armstrong  Custer  was  born  at  New  Rum- 
ley,  Ohio,  December  5,  1839,  and  was  consequently 
but  thirty-seven  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  At 
ten  years  of  age  he  went  to  live  with  an  older  sister  in 
Monroe,  Michigan,  and  ever  after  considered  that  place 
his  home.  There,  on  the  ninth  of  February,  1864,  he 
married  Elizabeth,  only  daughter  of  Judge  Daniel  S. 
Bacon.  He  entered  West  Point  as  a  cadet  in  1857, 
and  graduated  four  years  after  —  away  down  in  the 
list.  Worse  still,  he  was  court-martialed  for  some 
minor  breach  of  etiquette,  and,  badly  as  officers  were 
needed  just  then,  had  some  trouble  in  getting  located 
in  the  army.  But  we  long  ago  learned  that  rank  at 
West  Point  by  no  means  settles  the  officer's  later 
standing  in  the  army.  Soon  after  graduating  he  was 
made  Second  Lieutenant,  and  assigned  to  Company 
"G,"  Second  United  States  Cavalry,  and  arrived  just 
in  time  to  take  a  little  part  in  the  Bull  Run  battle  and 
stampede.  A  little  later  he  served  on  the  staff  of  General 
Phil.  Kearney,  and  early  in  the  summer  of  1862  was 
made  full  captain  and  aid-de-camp  of  General  McClellan. 
And  this  contributed  not  a  little  to  some  of  his  trou- 
bles in  after  years,  as  he  was  an  enthusiastic  "  McClellan 
man,"  and  by  no  means  reticent  in  his  views.  Ani- 


304  HOW  I  KNOW. 

mosities  were   excited  during   that  controversy  which 
were  not  settled  till  long  afterward. 

Little  by  little  Custer  fought  his  way  up,  and  the 
last  year  of  the  war  the  country  was  charmed  and  ex- 
cited by  the  brilliant  movements  of  Brigadier-General 
George  A.  Custer,  of  the  United  States  Cavalry.  After 
the  war  we  almost  lost  sight  of  him.  Except  that  Pres- 
ident Johnson  took  him,  along  with  a  few  others,  as 
one  of  the  attractions  of  that  starring  tour,  "  swinging 
'round  the  circle,"  we  hear  no  more  of  Custer  till  the 
army  was  reorganized  in  1866,  and  he  was  once  more 
a  captain  in  the  United  States  Cavalry,  this  time  on  the 
plains.  But  it  was  a  different  sort  of  army  from  that 
with  which  he  had  won  his  early  honors.  Language 
fails  to  portray  the  utter  demoralization  of  our  regular 
army  from  1865  to  1869  or  '70.  All  the  really  valua- 
ble survivors  of  the  volunteer  army  had  returned  to 
civil  life;  only  the  malingerers,  the  bounty-jumpers,  the 
draft-sneaks  and  worthless  remained.  These,  with  the 
scum  of  the  cities  and  frontier  settlements,  constituted 
more  than  half  the  rank  and  file  on  the  plains.  The 
officers,  too,  had  been  somewhat  affected  by  the  great 
revolution.  The  old  West  Pointers  were  dead,  or  re- 
tired on  half  pay,  or  had  grown  to  such  rank  in  the 
volunteer  army  that  they  could  not  bear  to  drop  back 
to  their  old  position  in  the  regular  service.  The  offi- 
cers consisted  of  new  men  from  West  Point;  of  men 
who  had  been  appointed  from  civil  life  or  from  the  vol- 
unteer army,  in  most  instances  to  oblige  some  politi- 
cian; and  a  few  men  like  Custer,  to  whom  military  life 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE. 


305 


was  both  a  pleasure  and  a  legitimate  business.  Deser- 
tion was  so  common  among  the  private  soldiers  that  it 
entailed  no  disgrace  anywhere  in  the  West.  Hundreds 
enlisted  simply  to  get  transportation  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  then  deserted.  When  our  wagon-train 
was  on  its  way  to  Salt  Lake  in  1868,  a  deserter  trav- 
eled with  us  two  days,  dressed  in  his  military  clothing, 
and  without  the  slightest  attempt  at  concealment.  In 
this  wretched  state  of  the  service  in  the  West,  Custer 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
put  in  command 
of  the  Seventh 
United  States 
Cavalry. 

It  was  but 
nominally  a 
cavalry  regi- 
ment. The  men 
were  there,  and 
the  horses,  with 

guns,     equip-  "GO  WEST." 

ments,  an  organization  and  a  name;  but  as  a  cavalry 
regiment  he  had  to  make  it,  and  he  did  it  so  well 
that  it  soon  became  the  reliable  regiment  of  the 
frontier.  The  new  Colonel's  career,  for  some  time 
to  come,  was  among  the  hostile  Indians  of  Western 
and  South-western  Kansas — then  the  worst  section 
of  the  Far  West  for  Indian  troubles.  The  tourist 
who  glides  rapidly  and  with  such  keen  enjoyment 
through  this  region,  by  way  of  the  Kansas  Pacific 


20 


306  HOW  I  KNOW. 

or  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Road,  can  scarcely 
conceive  that  but  a  few  years  have  elapsed  since  it 
contained  thousands  of  murderous  savages;  for  it  is 
a  noteworthy  fact  that  nothing  so  soon  moderates 
the  danger  of  Indian  attacks  as  a  railroad.  It  seems 
that,  even  if  no  fighting  is  done,  the  mere  presence  of 
the  road,  with  daily  passage  of  trains,  either  drives  the 
Indians  away  or  renders  them  harmless.  But  in  the 
early  days  the  routes  to  the  Colorado  mines  were 
raided  at  regular  intervals.  One  year  there  would  be 
almost  perfect  peace;  the  next  a  bloody  Indian  war.  It 
seems  to  have  been  the  policy  of  the  Indians  to  behave 
well  long  enough  to  throw  emigrants  off  their  guard; 
then  to  swoop  down  and  murder  and  plunder  with  im- 
punity. The  region  between  the  Smoky  Hill  and  the 
Republican  was  particularly  noted  for  bloody  encount- 
ers. It  was  raided  in  turn  by  Sioux,  Cheyennes  and 
Arapahoes,  and  often  by  all  three  in  concert.  Every 
ravine  and  knoll  on  the  route  has  its  own  local  legend 
— the  details,  a  blending  of  the  ludicrous  and  horrible. 
Tradition  relates  that  two  bold  settlers  started  for  the 
mines  in  a  time  of  profound  peace,  just  after  the  In- 
dians had  concluded  a  most  solemn  treaty  and  shaken 
hands  over  their  promise  to  live  in  eternal  peace  with 
the  whites;  the  settlers,  in  Western  mirthfulness,  paint- 
ing on  their  white  wagon-cover  the  words,  "  Pike's 
Peak  or  Bust."  A  scouting  party  sent  out  from  some 
post  came  upon  them  on  the  Upper  Republican,  just 
in  time  to  see  the  savages  vanishing  in  the  distance. 
The  oxen  lay  dead  in  the  yoke.  Beside  the  wagon 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE. 


307 


were   the   corpses   of  the  two  settlers,  transfixed  with 
arrows.     They  had  "busted.'' 

In  1864  the  savages  broke  out  worse  than  ever,  car- 
rying off  several  women  captive  from  the  settlements 
in  Kansas.  In  1865  there  was  a  precarious  peace;  but 
in  1866  and  '67  the  Indians  raided  every  part  of  the 
stage  road.  Meanwhile  the  noted  "Chivington  massa- 
cre "  had  occurred,  and  General  P.  E.  Connor  had,  by 


'BUSTED. 


extraordinary  exertions,  killed  some  Montana  Indians; 
both  events  were  seized  upon  by  Eastern  "human- 
itarians," and  for  a  while  they  succeeded  in  completely 
paralyzing  all  portions  of  our  army.  And  here  it  may 
be  observed  that  our  peculiar,  tortuous,  uneconomical 
and  most  unsatisfactory  Indian  policy,  is  the  result  of  a 
certain  conflict  of  forces  highly  liable  to  occur  in  a  free 
republic.  There  is,  first,  a  small  but  eminently  respect- 


308  HOW  I  KNOW. 

able  and  powerful  party,  which  is  opposed  to  fighting 
the  Indian  at  all,  and  think  that  he  might  be  fed  and 
soothed  into  keeping  the  peace;  and  that,  at  any  rate, 
it  would  be  cheaper  to  feed  all  the  Indians  to  repletion 
than  to  fight  them.  And,  as  to  this  last  point,  they 
are  emphatically  correct.  There  is,  next,  a  consider- 
ably larger  number,  mostly  on  the  frontiers,  who  believe 
in  a  war  of  extermination,  but  they  have  little  or  no 
political  influence.  There  are,  also,  the  traders  and 
agents,  some  honest  and  some  otherwise,  whose  inter- 
ests are  involved ;  and  the  sensible  middle  class,  who 
believe  in  keeping  treaties  with  the  Indians,  and 
thrashing  them  if  they  break  treaties.  Of  course,  it 
sometimes  happens  that  one  of  these  parties  is  ahead, 
and  then  another.  As  a  result,  our  policy  is  strangely 
crooked,  inconsistent,  and  expensive.  The  Indian  no 
sooner  gets  accustomed  to  one  policy  than  another  is 
adopted ;  he  has  scarcely  learned  to  trust  one  officer  till 
another  is  in  his  place,  who  takes  a  malicious  pleasure, 
apparently,  in  undoing  all  that  the  former  has  done. 
This  uncertainty  entails  frightful  expense,  both  in  treas- 
ure and  life.  But  it  is  a  difficulty  inseparable,  appar- 
ently, from  our  form  of  government. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  trace  the  causes  which  led  to 
Hancock's  campaign  against  the  Indians  in  1867.  It 
was  a  formidable  affair  on-  paper,  but  accomplished 
nothing.  Our  whole  force  consisted  of  eight  troops  of 
cavalry,  seven  companies  of  infantry,  and  one  battery 
of  artillery,  the  whole  numbering  1,400  men.  General 
Hancock,  with  seven  companies  of  infantry,  four  of 


THE   CUSTER  MASSACRE.  309 

the  Seventh  Cavalry,  and  all  the  artillery,  marched  from 
Fort  Riley  to  Fort  Harper,  and  there  was  joined  by 
two  more  troops  of  cavalry.  Thence  they  marched 
southeast  to  Fort  Larned,  near  the  Arkansas.  The 
hostile  Indians,  consisting  of  Cheyennes  and  Sioux,  had 
appointed  a  council  near  by ;  but  all  sorts  of  difficul- 
ties seemed  to  arise  to  prevent  their  coming  up  to  time. 
First,  there  was  a  heavy  snow,  although  it  was  the 
second  week  in  April  5  and  the  runners  reported  that 
the  bands  could  not  come.  Then  word  came  that  they 
had  started,  but  found  it  necessary  to  halt  and  kill  some 
buffalo;  and,  again,  that  they  had  once  come  in  sight,  but 
were  afraid  on  account  of  so  many  soldiers  being  present. 
Then  General  Hancock  proceeded  up  the  stream  to 
hunt  the  Indian  camp,  and  was  met  by  an  imposing 
band  of  warriors.  Another  parley  ensued;  midway  be- 
tween the  hostile  forces  Generals  Hancock,  A.  J.  Smith 
and  others  met  Roman  Nose,  Bull  Bear,  White  Horse, 
Gray  Beard  and  Medicine  Wolf,  on  the  part  of  the 
Cheyennes,  and  Pawnee  Killer,  Bad  Wound,  Tall-Bear- 
that-walks-under-Ground,  Left  Hand  and  Little  Bull 
and  Little  Bear,  on  the  part  of  the  Sioux.  There  was 
no  fighting ;  but  after  a  few  days  more  of  excuses,  the 
mounted  Indians  suddenly  departed.  Then  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  whole  proceeding  was  but  a  well- 
played  ruse  to  enable  the  Indians  to  get  their  women 
and  children  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  leave  the  warriors 
free  for  contingencies.  The  accomplished  commanders 
of  the  American  army  had  been  tricked  by  a  lot  of  dirty 
savages.  Custer  in  the  lead,  pushed  on  with  all  possible 


310 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


speed  after  the  Indians,  but  in  vain.  They  had  struck 
the  stage  stations  on  the  Smoky  Hill  route,  and  mur- 
dered several  persons;  and  the  war  was  begun.  It 
ended  decidedly  to  the  advantage  of  the  Indians. 

Ouster's  first  experience  in  actual  Indian-fighting 
was  while  escorting  a  wagon-train  loaded  with  sup- 
plies from  Fort  Ellis.  The  Indians  had  selected  for  the 
fight  a  piece  of  ground  well  cut  up  with  gullies — an 


CUSTER'S  FIRST  INDIAN  FIGHT. 


admirable  system  of  "  covered  ways  " — by  which  they 
hoped  to  get  close  up  to  the  wagons  without  being 
discovered,  and  then  make  a  charge.  But  the  watch- 
ful eye  of  a  scout  discovered  their  plan,  and  brought 
on  the  conflict  on  ground  more  favorable  to  the  whites. 
The  train  was  simultaneously  attacked  on  all  sides  by 
six  or  seven  hundred  well-mounted  Indians,  outnum- 
bering Ouster's  party  twelve  to  one.  The  savages 


THZ    CUSTER   MASSACRE.  311 

attacked  in  the  manner  known  as  "circling" — that  is, 
riding  round  and  round  the  whites,  hanging  on  the 
opposite  side  of  their  horses  so  as  to  be  shielded,  and 
firing  over  the  animal's  back  and  under  his  breast.  The 
scout,  Comstock,  had  predicted  a  long  and  obstinate 
battle:  "  Six  hundred  red  devils  ain't  a  goin'  to  let  fifty 
men  stop  them  from  getting  the  sugar  and  coffee  that's 
in  these  wagons."  And  they  did  not  yield  the  prize  as 
long  as  there  was  hope.  The  soldiers  were  located 
around  the  wagons  in  skirmish  order.  The  Indians  en- 
circled them  in  a  much  larger  ring;  but,  though  the  fir- 
ing continued  for  hours,  only  a  few  Indians  were  hit,  so 
difficult  was  it  to  take  aim  at  the  swiftly-flying  horse  or 
rider.  All  this  time  the  train  moved  slowly  on  over  the 
comparatively  level  prairie,  the  teamsters  shivering  with 
terror,  and  scarcely  needing  the  command  to  "  keep 
closed  up — one  team's  head  right  against  the  next 
wagon."  This  fight  lasted  three  hours,  and  had  the 
Indians  maintained  it  much  longer,  the  soldiers  would 
have  run  out  of  ammunition.  But  the  savage  scouts, 
posted  all  around  on  the  highest  points,  gave  warning 
that  something  was  wrong;  and  soon  the  whole  band 
ceased  firing  and  galloped  off.  Five  of  them  had  been 
killed  and  several  wounded.  The  cause  of  their  sud- 
den retreat  proved  to  be  Colonel  West's  cavalry  com- 
mand, which  soon  arrived. 

Custer's  next  anxiety  was  for  Lieutenant  Kidder 
and  his  party  of  eleven  men,  who  were  known  to  be 
moving  across  from  the  Republican  to  Fort  Wallace, 
through  a  country  now  swarming  with  hostile  Indians. 


312  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Soon  after  getting  the  supply  train  into  camp,  Comstock, 
the  scout,  was  appealed  to  for  his  opinion  as  to  Kidder's 
chances.  It  was  far  from  encouraging.  But  Corn- 
stock's  reply  to  the  officers  contains  some  hints  worth 
recording.  Said  he:  "Well,  gentlemen,  there's  several 
things  a  man  must  know  to  give  an  opinion.  No  man 
need  tell  me  any  pints  about  Injuns.  Ef  I  know  any- 
thing, it's  Injuns.  I  know  jest  how  they'll  do  anything, 
and  when  they'll  take  to  do  it;  but  that  don't  settle  the 
question.  Ef  I  knowed  this  young  lootenint,  ef  I  knowed 
what  sort  of  a  man  he  is,  I  could  tell  you  mighty  nigh 
to  a  sartainty  all  you  want  to  know;  for,  you  see,  Injun- 
huntin'  and  Injun-fightin'  is  a  trade  all  by  itself;  and, 
like  any  other  bizness,  a  man  has  to  know  what  he's 
about,  or  ef  he  don't,  he  can't  make  a  livin'  at  it.  I 
have  lots  o'  confidence  in  the  fightin'  sense  o'  Red 
Beard,  the  Sioux  chief,  who  is  guidin'  the  lootenint,  and 
ef  that  Injun  can  have  his  own  way,  there  is  a  fair 
show  for  his  guidin'  'em  through  all  right;  but,  there 
lays  the  difficulty.  Is  this  lootenint  the  kind  of  a  man 
that  is  willin'  to  take  advice,  even  if  it  does  come  from 
an  Injun?  My  experience  with  you  army  folks  has 
allays  been  that  the  youngsters  among  ye  think  they 
know  the  most;  and  this  is  'specially  true  ef  they've 
jist  come  from  West  Pint.  Ef  one  o'  'em  young  fel- 
lers knowed  half  as  much  as  they  bleeve  they  do,  you 
could'nt  tell  'em  nothin'.  As  to  rale  book  larnin',  why 
I  spose  they've  got  it  all,  but  the  fact  of  the  matter  is, 
they  could'nt  tell  the  difference  'twixt  the  trail  of  a  war 
party  and  one  made  by  a  huntin'  party  to  save  their 


THE   CUSTER  MASSACRE. 


313 


necks.  Half  uv  'em,  when  they  first  cum  here,  can't 
tell  a  squaw  from  a  buck,  because  they  both  ride  strad- 
dle; but  they  soon  larn.  But  that's  neither  here  nor 
thar.  I'm  told  that  this  lootenint  we're  talkin'  about 
is  a  new-comer,  and  that  this  is  his  first  scout.  Ef 
that  be  the  case,  it  puts  a  mighty  unsartain  look  on  the 
whole  thing;  and,  'twixt  you  and  me,  gentlemen,  he'll 
be  mighty  lucky  ef  he  gets  through  all  right.  To-mor- 
row we'll  strike  the 
Wallace  trail,  and  I 
can  mighty  soon  tell 
whether  he's  gone 
that  way." 

Next  day  the  re- 
lief    party,    led    by 
Custer,    came    on 
Lieutenant  Kidder's 
trail,  and  after  a  brief  'f 
examination   Com-  ' 
stock     pronounced: 

"The     trail     shows  WESTERN  SCOUT— WILD  BILL. 

that  twelve  American  horses,  shod  all  around,  have 
passed  at  a  walk;  and  when  they  went  by  this  pint 
they  war  all  right,  because  their  horses  are  movin' 
along  easy,  and  no  pony  tracks  behind  'em,  as  would 
be  ef  the  Injuns  had  an  eye  on  'em.  It  would  be 
astonishin'  for  that  lootenint  and  his  layout  to  git  into 
the  fort  without  a  skrimmage.  He  may,  but  ef  he 
does,  it'll  be  a  scratch  ef  ever  there  was  one;  and  I'll 
lose  my  confidence  in  Injuns." 


314  HOW  T  KNOW. 

Custer  ordered  the  command  to  hurry  up,  and,  fol- 
lowing the  trail,  they  came,  in  a  few  hours,  upon  two 
dead  horses  with  the  cavalry  brand,  but  stripped  of  all 
accoutrements.  A  little  farther,  and  they  saw  that  the 
American  horses  had  been  going  at  full  speed,  while 
all  around  Comstock  pointed  out  the  minute  but  abund- 
ant evidences  that  the  Indians  had  fought  them  from 
all  sides,  the  pony  tracks  being  numerous.  A  little 
farther,  and  they  entered  the  tall  grass  and  thickets 
along  Beaver  Creek,  and  there  saw  several  buzzards 
floating  lazily  in  the  air,  while  the  trail  was  sprinkled 
with  exploded  cartridges  and  other  debris.  That  told 
the  tale.  Nor  were  they  long  in  finding  the  dead.  The 
sight  made  the  blood  even  of  these  brave  men  curdle. 
Lieutenant  Kidder  and  his  companions  lay  near  to- 
gether, stripped  of  every  article  of  clothing,  and  so 
brutally  hacked  and  mangled  that  all  separate  recogni- 
tion was  impossible.  Every  skull  had  been  broken, 
every  head  scalped;  the  bodies  were  mutilated  in  an 
obscene  and  indescribable  manner,  and  some  lay  amid 
ashes,  indicating  that  they  had  been  roasted  to  death. 
The  scalp  of  Red  Bead,  the  friendly  Sioux,  lay  by  his 
body,  as  it  is  contrary  to  their  rules  to  carry  away  the 
scalp  of  one  of  their  own  tribe;  nor  is  it  permitted 
among  most  Indians  to  keep  such  a  scalp  or  exhibit  it. 
The  exact  manner  of  their  death  cannot  be  known,  but 
all  the  surroundings  showed  that  they  had  fought  long 
and  well.  Custer's  command  buried  them  on  the  spot 
where  found,  whence  the  father  of  Lieutenant  Kidder 
removed  his  remains  the  following  winter. 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  315 

Custer  marched  on  to  Fort  Wallace  with  all  possi- 
ble speed,  .but  troubles  multiplied.  The  soldiers  had 
begun  to  desert.  Forty  men  took  "French  leave"  in 
one  night!  The  next  day  thirteen  men  deserted  in 
broad  day,  in  full  view  of  the  command,  seven  mounted 
and  six  on  foot.  After  a  desperate  run  the  latter  were 
captured,  two  slightly  and  one  mortally  wounded.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  they  were  then  in  a  region  where 
the  deserters  apprehended  no  danger  from  Indians. 
Two  men  were  killed  by  the  Indians  after  all  danger 
was  thought  to  be  past.  From  Fort  Wallace  the  com- 
mand marched  eastward  to  Fort  Hayes.  The  war 
was  over  and  Custer  applied  for  and  obtained  leave  to 
visit,  by  rail,  Fort  Riley,  where  his  family  was  then 
located;  and  for  this,  and  other  matters  connected 
with  that  campaign,  Custer  was  court-martialed!  This 
proceeding  appears  to  have  been  purely  malicious, 
prompted  by  the  dislike  of  some  inferior  officers  over 
whom  Custer  had  exercised  pretty  severe  discipline. 
The  charges  were  drawn  by  one  whom  he  had  severely 
reprimanded  for  drunkenness.  He  had  left  Fort  Wal- 
lace without  orders,  because,  under  the  circumstances, 
he  thought  proper  to  report  to  his  commander  in  per- 
son. To  this  they  added  the  fact  that  he  went  on  to 
Riley  to  visit  his  family,  and  thus  constructed  a  charge 
that  he  had  abandoned  his  post  for  his  private  con- 
venience! Mean  as  this  attack  was,  it  was  successful. 
Custer  was  suspended  from  rank  and  pay  for  one  year! 

Meanwhile  another  summer  campaign    was    under- 
taken  against  the   hostile   Indians,  with   equally  barren 


316  HOW  I  KNOW. 

results.  General  Sully  marched,  in  1868,  against  the 
combined  Cheyennes,  Kioways  and  Arapahoes,  whom 
he  struck  near  the  present  Camp  Supply.  If  this  was 
a  "drawn  battle,"  that  is  the  best  that  can  be  said  of 
it.  Sully  retired,  badly  crippled,  and  made  no  further 
attempts.  At  the  same  time  General  "  Sandy "  For- 
sythe,  with  a  company  of  scouts  and  plainsmen  enlisted 
for  the  purpose,  was  hunting  for  the  hostile  Sioux  on 
the  Northern  affluents  of  the  Republican.  He  found 
them.  They  also  found  him.  Of  his  total  force  of 
fifty-one  men,  six  were  killed  and  twenty  wounded; 
all  their  horses  were  captured,  and  the  command  was 
only  saved  from  annihilation  by  the  arrival  of  re-in- 
forcements.  The  Noble  Red  Man  evidently  understood 
his  business  better  than  the  Generals  opposed  to  him. 
The  people  of  Colorado  grew  sarcastic.  Western 
people  often  do  when  mail  and  supplies  are  cut  off 
for  weeks  at  a  time.  It  appeared  that  the  mountain 
territories  were  in  a  fair  way  to  be  isolated  from  the 
rest  of  the  country.  California  Joe,  a  scout  who  had 
been  with  several  of  the  commanders,  thus  "gave  in  his 
experience: 

u  I've  been  with  'em  when  they  started  out  after 
the  Injuns  on  wheels — in  an  ambulance — as  if  they 
•war  goin'  to  a  town  funeral  in  the  States,  and  they 
stood  about  as  much  chance  o'  ketchin'  the  Injuns  as 
a  six-mule  train  would  o'  ketchin'  a  pack  o'  coyotes. 
That  sort  o'  work  is  only  fun  for  the  Injuns;  they 
don't  want  anything  better.  Ye  ought  to  seen  how 
they  peppered  it  to  us,  and  wre  doin'  nothin'  all  the 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  317 

time.  Some  war  afraid  the  mules  war  a  goin5  to  stam- 
pede and  run  off  with  all  our  grub,  but  that  war  on- 
possible;  for,  besides  the  big  loads  of  corn  and  bacon, 
thar  war  from  eight  to  a  dozen  infantry  men  piled  into 
every  wagon.  Ye'd  ought  to  heard  the  quartermaster 
in  charge  o'  the  train  tryin'  to  drive  the  men  outen  the 
wagons  and  git  them  into  the  fight.  He  was  an  Irish- 
men, and  he  sez  to  'em:  'Git  out  of  thim  waggins. 
Yez  'ill  have  me  tried  for  disobadience  ov  orders  for 
marchin'  tin  men  in  a  waggin  whin  I've  orders  but 
for  eight.' " 

But  the  rude  common  sense  of  General  Sheridan, 
soon  after  his  arrival  on  the  plains,  put  an  end  to  sum- 
mer campaigning.  He  and  Sherman  united  in  asking 
for  the  restoration  of  Custer;  and,  on  the  i2th  of  No- 
vember, 1868,  that  officer,  at  the  head  of  his  command 
again,  started  out  on  his  famous  Washita  campaign. 
Soon  after  the  departure  from  Fort  Dodge,  on  the 
Arkansas,  the  command  was  overtaken  by  a  violent 
snow-storm;  but  this  the  commander  thought  all  the 
more  favorable  to  his  plans.  General  Sheridan  could 
only  point  out  to  Custer  the  neighborhood  of  the  hos- 
tiles'  camp,  and  leave  all  details  to  his  judgment.  With 
four  hundred  wagons,  and  a  guard  of  infantry  for  them, 
and  the  Seventh  Cavalry  in  fighting  order,  he  pressed 
rapidly  southward  to  the  edge  of  the  Indian  country, 
where  a  camp  was  established  for  the  wagons,  as  a 
base  of  supplies,  and  the  cavalry  pressed  on.  California 
Joe  and  other  scouts  accompanied  the  expedition,  be- 
sides a  small  detachment  of  Osage  Indians,  headed  by 


318  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Little  Beaver  and  Hard  Rope,  who  did  excellent  ser- 
vice. After  a  terrible  winter  march,  the  command, 
eight  hundred  strong,  arrived  at  the  bluff  of  the  Washita 
at  midnight,  and  saw  below  them,  in  the '  moonlight, 
the  hostile  camp.  It  was  evident,  at  a  glance,  that  the 
Indians  trusted  implicitly  in  the  old  army  habit  of  fight- 
ing them  only  in  Summer.  They  had  no  scouts  out, 
and  were  buried  in  repose.  The  command  wras  divided 
into  four  nearly  equal  detachments;  and,  by  making 
wide  detours,  the  Indian  camp  was  completely  sur- 
rounded before  daylight.  The  night  was  terribly  cold, 
but  no  fire  could  be  lighted,  and  the  suffering  was 
intense.  As  Custer  stood  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
and  peered  through  the  darkness  into  the  camp,  he  dis- 
tinctly heard  the  cry  of  an  Indian  baby,  borne  through 
the  cold,  still  air,  and  reflected  with  pain  that,  under 
the  circumstances,  there  was  so  much  probability  that 
the  troopers'  bullets  would  make  no  distinction  of  age 
or  sex.  Soon  after  daylight  the  attack  was  made. 
Although  taken  by  surprise,  the  Indians  fought  des- 
perately, but  were  utterly  routed.  It  practically  an- 
nihilated Black  Kettle's  band  of  Cheyennes.  A  hun- 
dred and  three  warriors  were  killed;  fifty-three  squaws 
and  children  captured,  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five 
ponies  taken  and  a  vast  amount  of  other  property.  Of 
the  force,  two  officers  and  nineteen  men  were  killed, 
three  officers  and  eleven  men  wounded.  In  the  very 
hour  of  victory  Custer  discovered  that  this  was  but  one 
of  a  long  line  of  villages,  extending  down  the  Wash- 
ita; but  he  had  struck  such  terror  that  the  others  did 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE. 


319 


not  gather  force  sufficient  to  attack,  and  he  returned  to 
camp  in  safety. 

And  here  it  may  be  noted  that,  in  plains'  travel  and 
fighting,  there  is  no  difficulty  so  great  as  dealing  with 
the  wounded.  With  all  the  appliances  furnished  our 


RUDE    SURGERY    OF    THE    PLAINS. 


army  surgeons,  there  must  still  be  many  deficiencies; 
and,  with  the  ordinary  plainsman,  a  bad  wound  is 
either  certain  death  or  a  long  and  terrible  struggle,  in 
which  nothing  saves  the  man  but  an  iron  constitution. 
In  the  old  days  a  regular  backwoods'  science  grew  up 


320  HOW  I  KNOW. 

among  trappers  and  voyageurs;  they  treated  gunshot 
wounds  and  broken  bones,  extracted  bullets  and  arrows, 
or  amputated  shattered  limbs  in  a  way  that  would  have 
amazed  the  faculty,  but  was  singularly  successful.  The 
camp-saw  and  a  well-sharpened  bowie-knife  were  their 
surgical  instruments;  their  cauteries,  hot  irons;  and 
their  tourniquets,  a  handkerchief  twisted  upon  the 
limb  with  a  stick  run  through  the  knot  and  turned  to 
press  upon  the  artery.  f  Arrows  wrere  often  drawn 
through  the  limb,  the  feathers  having  been  cut  off; 
and  bullets  flirted  out  of  an  incision  quickly  made  with 
a  sharp  razor.  In  winter  the  wounded  limb  was  al- 
most frozen  by  snow  or  ice  applied  before  the  amputa- 
tion; in  summer  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  suffer 
it  through.  An  old  voyageur,  with  but  one  arm,  gave 
me  an  account  of  his  losing  the  other,  which  made  my 
"  each  particular  hair  to  stand  on  end."  The  arm  was 
completely  shattered  below  the  elbow;  it  was  amputa- 
tion or  death,  and  the  party  was  a  thousand  miles  from 
any  surgeon.  But  with  knife,  saw,  and  red-hot  iron 
the  job  was  skillfully  done;  he  survived  such  rude 
surgery  without  a  shock  to  his  fine  constitution. 

After  a  brief  rest  Custer  was  again  sent  to  the 
Washita,  where  he  alternately  negotiated  with  and 
threatened  the  savages,  until  he  had  recovered  some 
captives  they  held,  and  located  the  Indians  near  the 
forts.  And  here  originated  the  difficulty  between  him 
and  General  W.  B.  Hazen,  then  in  charge  of  the  southern 
Indians — Custer  maintaining  that  Satanta's  and  Lone 
Wolf's  bands  of  Kioways  had  been  in  the  fight  against 


THE    CUSTER  MASSACRE.  321 

him,  Hazen  denying  it.  It  was  six  years  before  the 
matter  was  settled,  Hazen  producing  unquestionable 
evidence  that  he  was  right.  We  find  evidences,  from 
time  to  time,  that  Custer  was  somewhat  hasty  in  his 
judgments,  and  very  impulsive  in  giving  utterance  to 
them — in  short,  that  he  had  some  of  the  faults  as  well 
as  all  the  virtues  of  a  dashing,  impetuous  man. 

For  two  years  there  was  peace  on  the  plains;  but 
in  the  spring  of  1873,  the  first  Yellow  Stone  expedition 
went  out.  From  Yankton  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  with 
Custer  in  command,  marched  all  the  way  to  Fort  Rice, 
six  hundred  miles,  Mrs.  Custer  and  other  ladies  accom- 
panying the  column  on  horseback.  There  the  ladies 
halted;  but  it  was  not  until  July  that  the  entire  expedi- 
tion started  —  cavalry,  infantry,  artillery  and  scouts, 
numbering  seventeen  hundred  men — all  under  com- 
mand of  Major-General  D.  S.  Stanley.  The  main  ob- 
ject was  to  explore  the  country,  and  open  a  way  for 
the  surveyors  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  Cus- 
ter, as  usual,  was  put  in  the  lead,  and  soon  after  reach- 
ing the  Yellow  Stone  had  several  skirmishes  with  the 
Indians,  who  were  desperately  resolved  against  the 
passage  of  a  railroad  through  the  country.  If  they 
could  only  have  looked  forward  over  the  next  year  of 
the  financial  world  they  might  have  been  spared  all 
anxiety  on  that  point.  During  this  march  the  sutler 
and  veterinary  surgeon  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  were 
murdered  by  a  Sioux  called  Rain-in-the-Face;  and  out 
of  that  matter  grew  the  latter's  hostility  to  Custer,  and 
perhaps  the  latter's  tragic  death  three  years  after. 


322  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Early  in  1874  began  the  memorable  Black  Hills  ex- 
pedition, an  undertaking  that  began  in  the  grossest  in- 
justice and  ended  in  wholesale  murder.  From  the  first 
discovery  in  California,  rumors  had  constantly  prevailed 
of  great  gold  placers  in  the  Black  Hills,  but  the  region 
was  a  mystery.  The  Warren  Expedition,  in  1857,  had 
gone  around  the  whole  district,  but  the  Sioux  emphat- 
ically prohibited  them  from  entering  it,  stating  that  it 
was  sacred  ground.  Other  expeditions  proved  that  the 
region  was  a  great  oval,  about  a  hundred  by  sixty 
miles  in  extent,  cut  up  by  numerous  low  mountain 
ranges  covered  with  timber;  that  it  possessed,  as  do  all 
such  mountainous  regions,  a  more  rainy  climate  than 
the  plains,  and  scores  of  little  valleys  of  great  fertility. 
It  is  obvious  from  the  lay  of  the  country,  that  the  re- 
gion cannot  contain  any  great  area  of  agricultural  land, 
but  quite  probable  that  it  abounds  in  good  mountain 
pastures  and  timbered  hills.  The  tenacity  with  which 
the  Sioux  clung  to  it  only  the  more  convinced  the 
Westerners  that  it  contained  gold  by  millions,  and  many 
were  the  exciting  stories  told.  The  treaty  of  1868  con- 
firmed it  to  Red  Cloud  and  other  chiefs  in  person  in 
Washington,  and  the  Black  Hills  were  declared  inviola- 
ble— a  section  of  the  Indian  reservation  never  to  be 
trespassed  upon  by  white  men.  The  Custer  expedition 
of  1874  was  undertaken  in  direct  violation  of  that  treaty, 
and  upon  the  half-avowed  principle  that  treaties  were 
not  to  be  kept  with  Indians,  if  whites  needed  the 
country  in  question.  Consistent  with  this  ill-faith  the 
expedition  was  made  the  occasion  of  ridiculous  exag- 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  323 

geration,  not  to  say  downright  falsehood.  Correspond- 
ents were  sent  along  with  descriptive  powers  suited  to 
an  earthly  Eden,  and  they  described  one;  explorers 
went  to  find  gold  by  millions,  and  they  found  it.  The 
country  needed  a  sensation,  and  the  Government  took 
the  contract  of  supplying  it.  When  the  expedition  had 
returned,  and  the  brilliant  correspondents  had  made 
their  report,  General  Hazen  undertook  to  moderate  pop- 
ular enthusiasm  by  portraying  the  high  plains  as  they 
generally  are;  but  the  public  rejected  him,  and  found 
in  his  testimony  only  another  evidence  of  his  animosity 
to  General  Custer.  The  general  result  was,  settlement 
of  the  Black  Hills  before  the  Indian  title  was  extinguished 
and  another*  expensive  and  fruitless  Indian  war. 

The  next  year  Rain-in-the-Face,  a  noted  brave  of 
the  Uncpapa  Sioux,  was  arrested  for  the  murder  of  Dr. 
Honzinger  and  Mr.  Baliran,  of  the  Yellow  Stone  Expedi- 
tion of  1873.  He  was  brought  before  Custer,  thoroughly 
examined,  and  sentenced  to  death,  but  managing  to 
escape,  joined  the  hostile  band  of  Sitting  Bull,  and  sent 
word  that  he  was  prepared  to  take  revenge  for  his  im- 
prisonment. There  is  evidence,  though  not  quite  con- 
clusive, that  this  Indian  gave  Custer  the  death-blow. 
Here  it  is  necessary  to  point  out  an  important  distinc- 
tion in  the  organization  of  different  bands.  The 
ordinary  Indian  government  is  patriarchal,  and  in 
many  bands  a  majority  of  the  families  are  in  some 
way  related  to  the  chief;  but,  though  the  chieftainship 
is  nominally  hereditary,  its  continuance  in  any  line 
finally  depends  on  the  prowess  of  the  claimant.  If  he 


324  HOW  I  KNOW. 

fails  in  any  particular,  another  chief  at  once  supplants 
him.  Hence  the  absurdity  of  the  plan  generally  adopted 
by  our  Government,  of  trying  to  choose  chiefs  for  the 
Indians,  or  to  recognize  one  rather  than  another.  If 
the  young  men  cannot  have  the  leader  they  want,  they 
generally  join  the  "hostiles."  These  bands  are  made 
up  on  an  entirely  different  plan — by  convenience  rather 
than  relationship.  Sitting  Bull,  Crazy  Horse,  or  some 
other  active  fighter,  gets  a  reputation  as  war  chief,  and 
all  the  discontented  braves  join  him;  as  a  rule  there 
are  few  women  in  such  a  band,  and  the  number  of  men 
is,  therefore,  apt  to  be  underrated  on  distant  view.  Still 
more  distinct  is  a  third  class,  commonly  known  as 
"dog  soldiers."  These  are  outcasts  or  runaways  from 
all  the  tribes,  who  get  together  in  squads  of  from  five 
to  five  hundred;  sometimes  they  dissolve  and  melt  into 
the  original  tribes;  sometimes  are  merged  into  some 
one  big  tribe,  or  simply  wear  out.  Their  communica- 
tion at  first  is  entirely  by  the  "  sign  language ;"  if  to- 
gether long  enough,  a  new  Indian  dialect  arises  from 
the  jargon  of  so  many  tongues.  It  has  occasionally 
happened  that  a  large  band  of  "dog  soldiers"  would 
capture  women  enough  for  their  wants,  conquer  a  ter- 
ritory for  themselves,  and  in  time  grow  into  an  entirely 
new  tribe.  Thus  the  Comanches,  Arapahoes  and 
Apaches  are  said  to  have  descended  from  the  original 
Shoshonees;  while  the  Navajoes  resulted  from  the 
union  of  part  of  the  old  Aztecs  with  an  offshoot  of  the 
Shoshonees — or  of  the  original  Athabascan  stock,  from 
which  the  latter  sprang. 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  325 

In  1876,  Sitting  Bull  and  Crazy  Horse  led  the  hostile 
Sioux,  and  to  them  rapidly  gathered  all  the  discon- 
tented young  braves  from  the  agencies.  As  near  as 
can  be  determined,  the  latter  chief  began  the  season 
with  eight  hundred  braves — the  former  with  nearly 
twice  as  many.  Their  position  was  the  best  that  mili- 
tary art  could  have  selected.  From  it  the  affluents  of 
the  Yellow  Stone  ran  northward;  the  lower  affluents  of 
the  Missouri  eastward;  on  the  east  and  north  it  was 
doubly  protected  by  the  "bad  lands;"  northwest  and 
west  were  rugged  mountains,  and  southward  the  high 
plains  stretched  for  many  hundred  miles.  Around  the 
extreme  outer  edge  of  the  hostile  country,  from  north- 
west and  north  to  north-east  and  east,  ran  the  Mis- 
souri; on  that  stream  were  located  all  the  agencies,  and 
from  them,  through  "  friendly"  Indians,  went  a  constant 
stream  of  supplies  to  the  warriors.  By  careful  exam- 
ination of  the  books  (after  the  damage  had  been  done), 
it  was  proved  that  these  bands  received  in  five  months 
fifty-six  cases  of  arms,  containing  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  twenty  Winchester  and  Remington  rifles, 
and  four  hundred  and  thirteen  thousand  rounds  of  pat- 
ent ammunition,  besides  considerable  quantities  of  loose 
powder,  lead  and  primers.  It  takes  many  such  lessons 
as  this  to  convince  the  American  people  that  this  ma- 
chine we  call  government  is  the  most  awkward,  ex- 
pensive and  inefficient  of  all  human  inventions;  and  yet 
the  lesson  is  not  learned,  for  in  spite  of  daily  multiply- 
ing evidences  of  its  inherent  inefficiency,  new  parties 
start  up  every  year,  urging  that  government  should  run 


326 


HOW  I  KNOW. 


our  schools  and  churches,  our  mills,  mines  and  work- 
shops, our  social,  moral  and  industrial  institutions. 
Daily  is  the  lesson  thrust  upon  us,  that  whatever  gov- 
ernment does  is  done  wrong;  and  daily  we  hear  fresh 
demands  that  government  should  do  things  which  it 
was  never  organized  to  do.  The  plain  English  of  the 
foregoing  figures  is,  that  government  first  armed  the 
savages  with  repeating  rifles;  then  sent  an  inferior  force 
to  attack  them  on  ground  of  their  own  choosing. 

Three  columns  were  to 
proceed  from  three  points 
and  converge  on  the  hos- 
tile region:  Gibbon  east- 
ward from  Fort  Ellis, 
Montana;  Crook  north- 
ward from  Fort  Fetter- 
man;  and  Terry  westward 
from  Fort  Abe  Lincoln, 
just  across  the  Missouri 
from  Bismarck,  Dakota. 
Of  course  they  could  not 
start  at  the  same  time.  General  Crook,  with  seven 
hundred  men  and  forty  days'  supplies,  started  the 
ist  of  March,  and  reached  and  destroyed  the  village 
of  Crazy  Horse,  on  Powder  River,  the  i7th  of  March. 
But  the  Indians  got  away  with  most  of  their  ani- 
mals and  supplies.  The  Gibbon  column  did  not  figure 
greatly  till  the  junction  with  Terry  on  the  Yellow 
Stone.  Meanwhile  the  Terry  column,  in  which  Gen- 
eral Custer  was  the  leading  spirit,  was  delayed  in  a 


SCENE    OF    THE    SIOUX    WAR. 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  327 

score  of  ways.  It  could  not  start  as  early  as  that  of 
Crook  anyhow,  as  it  was  to  move  through  a  colder 
latitude,  and,  while  waiting,  Custer  was  summoned  to 
Washington.  The  Belknap  investigation  was  in  prog- 
ress, and  Hon.  Heister  Clymer,  Chairman  of  the  House 
Committee,  got  it  into  his  head  that  Custer  could  give 
important  information.  In  vain  did  Custer  dispatch 
that  he  really  knew  nothing  about  the  case,  and  Terry 
urge  that  his  call  to  Washington  would  delay  and  im- 
peril the  expedition.  Clymer  was  all  the  more  cer- 
tain Custer  had  important  information,  and  should  be 
brought  before  the  committee  and  rigidly  interrogated. 
On  the  6th  of  March,  Custer  telegraphed  a  request 
that  he  might  be  examined  at  Fort  Lincoln.  This 
Clymer  flatly  refused.  Custer  had  to  go  to  Washing- 
ton, and  there  it  was  found  that  he  really  knew  noth- 
ing about  the  case,  and  had  only,  as  was  natural  to  one 
of  his  impulsive  nature,  talked  freely  about  what  he  had 
heard.  But  Heister  Clymer  had  the  satisfaction  of 
compelling .  a  General  to  come  before  his  committee, 
and  delaying  Custer's  march  after  Sitting  Bull  a  whole 
month.  Then  President  Grant  took  hold.  The  grim, 
impassive,  hard-to-change  General  Grant  took  rt  into 
his  head  that  Custer's  talk  about  the  case  had  been  an 
intentional  affront  to  him — ivhy,  no  one  ever  knew. 
He  refused  to  see  Custer,  though  the  latter  repeatedly 
called  at  the  White  House,  and  once  sent  in  a  card, 
asking  in  plain  terms  for  a  reconciliation. 

Custer  then  called  at  the  office  of  General  Sherman, 
only  to  learn   that   the   latter  was  in  New  York,  and 


328  HOW  I  KNOW. 

might  not  return  for  some  time;  then,  on  the  night  of 
May  i?  took  the  train  for  Chicago.  Next  day  Sherman 
returned,  and  telegraphed  to  General  Sheridan  at  Chi- 
cago, that  Custer  "was  not  justified  in  leaving  here 
without  seeing  me  (Sherman)  or  the  President,"  and  or- 
dered that  Custer  remain  at  Saint  Paul  till  further  orders. 
Somebody  was  evidently  playing  sad  havoc  with  Cus- 
ter's  character  and  plans.  He  had,  perhaps,  talked  too 
much — that  was  his  fault,  if  any  thing — but  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  non-military  mind  to  see  any  other 
harm  he  had  done.  He  was  in  genuine  distress.  He 
telegraphed  at  length  to  General  Sherman,  and  then  to 
President  Grant,  and  the  final  result  was  that,  after  a 
deal  of  red  tape  all  around,  he  received  permission  to 
go  with  the  expedition,  in  command  of  his  regiment, 
the  Seventh  United  States  Cavalry.  The  Terry  col- 
umn consisted  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  entire,  three 
companies  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventeenth  Infantry,  with 
four  Gatling  guns  and  a  small  detachment  of  Indian 
scouts,  about  eight  hundred  men  in  all.  Gibbon 
was  coming  in  from  the  west  with  four  hundred  men, 
and  Crook  had  made  another  start  from  the  south  with 
fifteen  hundred  men.  Thus  there  were  twenty-seven 
hundred  armed  men,  distributed  on  the  circumference 
of  a  circle  about  three  hundred  miles  wide,  to  con- 
centrate near  the  center  where  the  hostiles  were  sup- 
posed to  be. 

Crook  first  found  the  enemy.  On  the  8th  of  June, 
his  force  had  a  skirmish  with  the  Sioux,  and  repulsed 
them.  A  week  later  his  Indian  scouts  reported  that 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  329 

they  had  seen  Gibbon's  command  on  the  other  side  of 
the  hostile  Sioux,  on  the  Tongue  River.  On  the  i6th 
Crook  pushed  rapidly  forward  toward  the  hostiles. 
Next  morning  Sitting  Bull  attacked  his  camp  in  great 
force  and  with  astonishing  vigor.  It  was  not  exactly 
a  surprise,  but  all  must  agree  that  Crook  gained  no 
advantage,  and  that  Sitting  Bull  handled  his  forces 
admirably.  Twice  during  the  action  he  succeeded  in 
getting  his  warriors  into  positions  where  they  poured 
an  enfilading  fire  into  Crook's  command.  Meanwhile 
Generals  Terry  and  Gibbon  had  communicated,  and 
the  latter  had  shown,  by  thorough  scouting,  that  the 
hostiles  were  as  yet  all  south  of  the  Yellow  Stone.  A 
glance  at  the  map  will  show  that  the  Powder,  Tongue, 
Rosebud,  and  Big  Horn,  run  north  into  the  Yellow 
Stone,  and  the  Little  Horn  into  the  Big  Horn;  and 
that,  after  these  various  scouts,  it  was  certain  the  hos- 
tiles were  somewhere  on  those  streams.  Accordingly 
Terry  commenced  scouting  for  them  in  that  direction. 
So  far  the  general  plan  had  worked  well;  its  defect 
now  appeared  to  be  that  Gibbon  and  Terry  were 
separated  from  Crook  by  at  least  a  hundred  miles  of 
mountainous  country,  and  that  in  that  region  some- 
where were  the  hostiles,  in  good  position  to  move 
either  way.  The  whole  object  of  this  plan  was  to  pre- 
vent the  Indians  getting  away  without  a  fight,  and  as 
to  that  it  was  a  perfect  success.  The  contingency  of 
the  Indians  being  well  prepared  for  a  fight  had  appar- 
ently not  been  considered. 

Careful  scouting  narrowed  the  field,  and  finally  it 


330  HOW  I  KNOW. 

was  decided  that  the  Indians  were  either  at  the  head 
of  the  Rosebud  or  on  the  Little  Horn,  a  ridge  about 
fifteen  miles  wide  separating  the  two  streams.  Terry 
and  Gibbon,  on  the  Yellow  Stone,  near  the  mouth  of 
Tongue  River,  then  held  a  council,  and  decided  that 
Ouster's  column  should  be  pushed  forward  to  strike 
the  first  blow.  Crook  was  too  far  south  to  be  consid- 
ered in  this  arrangement  at  all.  The  general  plan  is 
briefly  stated  in  Terry's  dispatch  to  General  Sheridan, 
from  the  former's  camp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rosebud, 
just  before  the  final  movement,  as  follows: 

Traces  of  a  large  and  recent  camp  of  Indians  have  been  discovered  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  up  the  Rosebud.  Gibbon's  column  will  move  this  morning  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Yellow  Stone  (see  map),  where  it  will  be  ferried  across 
by  the  supply  steamer,  and  whence  it  will  proceed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Horn,  and  so  on.  Custer  will  go  up  the  Rosebud  to-morrow  with  his  whole 
regiment,  and  thence  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Little  Horn,  thence  down  the 
Little  Horn. 

The  object,  of  course,  was  for  Custer  to  head  off  the 
escape  of  the  Indians  toward  the  east,  while  Gibbon 
would  move  up  the  Big  Horn  and  intercept  them  in 
that  direction.  It  has  been  absurdly  said  that  Custer 
disobeyed  or  exceeded  the  general  orders  he  received 
from  Terry;  but,  in  fact,  those  orders  were  so  very 
"general,"  that,  aside  from  the  instructions  as  to  route 
and  sending  scouts  to  seek  Gibbon,  they  might  have 
been  condensed  to  "  Go  ahead,  do  your  best;  I  trust  all 
to  you."  Similar  orders  directed  the  march  of  Gibbon 
up  the  Big  Horn.  Should  both  columns  march  equally, 
all  else  being  equal,  it  would  result  that  they  would 
come  together  on  the  Big  Horn,  some  distance  above 


THE    CUSTER   MASSACRE.  331 

(south)  the  junction  of  the  Little  Horn.  There  appears 
to  have  been  no  special  order  given  as  to  rates  of 
marching;  and  so  far  the  witnesses  do  not  agree  very 
well  as  to  what  either  commander  was  to  do  if  he 
struck  the  Indians  first.  The  reasonable  supposition 
is,  that  it  was  understood  beforehand  that  they  were  to 
fight  on  sight.  It  was  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  Sit- 
ting Bull  would  accommodate  them  by  slowly  retiring 
before  either,  until  the  other  could  come  up  in  his  rear. 
Custer's  command  received  rations  for  fifteen  days. 
Thus  supplied,  and  thus  directed  with  only  general  or- 
ders and  plenary  powers  under  them,  Custer  and  his 
cavalry  set  out  up  the  Rosebud  on  the  afternoon  of 
June  22,  1876,  which  is  the  last  account  we  have  from 
him  in  person.  Thereafter  his  movements  are  known 
only  by  the  report  of  Major  Reno,  who  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  that  section  of  the  regiment  which 
survived;  the  statements  of  various  officers  in  the  same 
command;  the  evidence  of  Curly,  an  Upsaroka  scout, 
who  alone  survived  the  massacre,  and  some  unsatisfac- 
tory accounts  from  the  enemy.  From  all  these  sources, 
and  a  careful  examination  of  the  trails  and  battle- 
ground, the  following  facts  are  proved: 

On  the  22d,  Custer  marched  his  command  about 
twelve  miles  up  the  Rosebud,  and  encamped.  On  the 
23d,  they  continued  up  the  Rosebud  for  about  thirty- 
five  miles,  perhaps  a  little  less.  On  the  24th,  they  ad- 
vanced rapidly  twenty-eight  miles,  and,  finding  a  fresh 
Indian  trail,  halted  for  reports  from  scouts.  By  night 
they  had  received  full  reports,  and,  about  9.30  p.  M., 


332  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Custer  called  the  officers  together  and  informed  them 
that  the  Indians  were  in  the  valley  of  the  Little  Horn, 
and  that  to  surprise  them  they  must  cross  over  from 
one  stream  to  the  other  in  the  night.  Accordingly 
they  moved  off  at  n  P.  M.;  but,  about  2  A.  M.  of  the 
25th,  the  scouts  gave  notice  that  the  command  could 
not  get  across  the  divide  before  daylight;  so  halt  was 
made,  provisions  prepared,  and  breakfast  eaten.  Right 
here,  apparently,  Custer's  original  plan  failed.  It  would 
seem  to  have  been  his  intention  to  repeat  the  Washita 
battle,  and  attack  at  sunrise.  By  8  A.  M.,  the  command 
was  nearing  the  Little  Horn.  Here  the  regiment  was 
divided.  Major  Reno  took  command  of  companies  M, 
A  and  G;  Captain  Benteen  of  H,  D  and  K;  Custer  re- 
tained companies  C,  E,  F,  I  and  L,  and  Captain  Mc- 
Dougall,  with  company  B,  was  placed  as  rear-guard 
with  the  pack-train.  As  they  moved  down  the  creek 
toward  the  Little  Horn,  Custer  was  on  the  right  bank, 
Major  Reno  on  the  left  bank,  and  Captain  Benteen 
some  distance  to  the  left  of  Reno,  and  entirely  out  of 
sight.  As  near  as  can  be  determined  the  command 
had  marched  some  ninety  miles  since  leaving  Terry; 
but  it  is  claimed  by  some  that  this  last  night  and  fore- 
noon march  was  much  longer  than  reported. 

About  noon  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Indian  camp, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  which  at  that  point 
runs  a  little  to  west  of  north,  with  a  considerable  bend 
to  the  north-east.  Enclosed  within  this  bend,  on  the 
left  (west)  side  of  the  stream,  began  the  Indian  camps, 
which  continued  thence  a  long  way  down  the  Little 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE. 


333 


Horn.      As   the   command   now   enters  the   battle    in 
three  divisions,  we  must  consider  them  separately.    As 


GETTING    THE    FIRST    SHOT. 


far  as  Custer's  plan  can  be  known,  it  was  for  Reno  to 
cross,  attack  the  upper  end  of  the   Indian  camp,  and 


334  HOW  I  KNOW. 

drive  them  down  stream,  if  possible;  at  any  rate,  to 
employ  the  warriors  fully,  while  Custer  himself,  to  be 
re-inforced  by  Benteen,  should  gallop  around  the  bend 
of  the  Little  Horn  and  down  some  distance,  then  cross, 
and  attack  from  that  side.  It  was  evident  that  the 
time  for  a  complete  surprise  was  past.  The  last  order 
Reno  had  from  Custer  was:  "Move  forward  at  as 
rapid  a  gait  as  you  think  prudent;  charge  afterwards, 
and  the  whole  outfit  will  support  you."  Pursuant 
thereto,  Reno  with  his  command  took  a  sharp  trot  for 
two  miles  down  the  stream  to  a  convenient  ford;  then 
crossed,  deployed  with  the  Ree  scouts  on  his  left,  and 
opened  the  battle,  the  Indians  retiring  before  him  about 
two  and  a  half  miles.  And  here  comes  in  the  first 
doubtful  proceeding.  Reno  says:  "I  saw  that  I  was 
being  drawn  into  some  trap.  *  *  *  j  could  not  see 
Custer  or  any  other  support,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
ground  seemed  to  grow  Indians.  They  were  running 
toward  me  in  swarms,  and  from  all  directions."  He 
retired  a  little  to  a  piece  of  woods,  dismounted,  had 
his  men  fight  on  foot,  and  advanced  again.  He  says 
that  the  odds  were  five  to  one,  and  he  saw  he  must 
regain  high  ground  or  be  surrounded.  Accordingly  he 
remounted  his  men,  charged  across  the  stream,  some 
distance  below  where  he  had  crossed  before,  and  hur- 
ried to  the  top  of  the  bluff,  losing  three  officers  and 
twenty-nine  men  killed  and  seven  men  wounded  in 
this  operation.  In  fact,  nearly  his  entire  loss  occurred 
in  this  retreat,  men  and  horses  being  shot  from  behind. 
It  would  seem  to  a  civilian,  who  has,  perhaps,  no  right 


THE    CUSTER  MASSACRE.  335 

to  criticize  an  Indian  fight,  that  it  would  have  been  far 
cheaper,  and  more  nearly  in  accordance  with  his  orders, 
to  stick  to  the  woods  on  the  west  side,  and  fight  it 
out  for  a  few  hours.  The  surgeon  present  says  there 
was  only  one  man  wounded  before  Reno  abandoned 
the  timber. 

We  turn  now  to  Benteen.  That  officer,  having 
been  ordered  to  the  extreme  left  while  marching  down 
the  affluent  toward  the  Little  Horn,  was  necessarily 
several  miles  off  when  the  rest  of  the  command  turned 
to  the  right  and  down  the  Little  Horn.  Finding  no 
Indians,  he  re-crossed  the  affluent  and  marched  down 
the  trail  left  by  Custer.  About  three  miles,  as  he  says, 
from  where  Reno  first  crossed,  he  met  a  sergeant  car- 
rying orders  to  Captain  McDougall  to  hurry  up  the 
pack-train;  a  little  further  on  he  met  Trumpeter  Mar- 
tin with  an  order  from  Custer,  written  by  Adjutant 
McCook,  and  the  last  he  ever  penned,  which  read: 
"Benteen,  come  on;  big  village;  be  quick;  bring  packs." 
About  a  mile  further  on  he  came  in  sight  of  the  Lit- 
tle Horn,  and  saw  Reno  retreating  up  the  bluffs.  He 
also  saw  "twelve  or  fifteen  dismounted  men  fighting 
on  the  plain,  the  Indians  there  numbering  about  nine 
hundred!"  About  2.30  p.  M.,  he  came  up  to  where 
Reno  had  gathered  his  forces  on  the  right  blufi\  The 
division  of  the  regiment  into  three  battalions  was  made 
at  10.30  A.  M.;  Benteen  says  that  his  scout  and  return 
to  the  main  trail  occupied  about  one  hour  and  a  half, 
bringing  it  to  noon.  How  he  consumed  the  time  from 
then  till  2.30  p.  M.,  none  of  the  reports  inform  us.  The 


336  HOW  I  KNOW. 

distance  traversed  could  not  have  been  over  five  miles, 
if  we  can  trust  any  thing  to  the  military  map.  It  also 
appears  from  the  report  that  Boston  Custer,  brother  of 
the  General,  had  time  to  come  to  the  rear  and  pack- 
train,  get  a  fresh  horse,  and  go  back  to  Custer,  passing 
Benteen,  and  be  killed  in  the  final  slaughter.  The 
reports  by  various  survivors  seem  to  leave  us  in 
ignorance  of  much  that  we  would  like  to  know. 

It  was  now  near  3  P.  M.,  and  as  senior  major,  Reno 
had  in  command  his  own  and  Benteen's  battalions,  and 
the  company  guarding  the  pack-train:  Companies  A, 
B,  D,  G,  H,  K,  and  M,  numbering  380  men,  com- 
manded by  Captains  Benteen,  Wier,  French,  and  Mc- 
Dougall,  and  Lieutenants  Godfrey,  Mathey,  Gibson, 
Edgerly,  Wallace,  Varnum  and  Hare.  With  them  was 
Surgeon  Porter.  These  officers  are  restrained,  to  a 
great  extent,  by  military  courtesy,  but  as  far  as  their 
statements  have  been  made  public  they  indicate  that 
there  was  no  very  determined  effort  made  to  aid  Cus- 
ter. Major  Reno  waited  on  the  bluff  awhile  (length 
of  time  not  settled  yet),  then  moved  slowly  down  the 
stream,  and  sent  Captain  Weir  with  his  command  to 
open  communication  with  Custer.  Weir  soon  returned 
with  the  information  that  the  Indians  were  coming  en 
masse;  and,  in  a  little  while  after,  Reno's  force  was 
furiously  attacked.  We  learn  at  this  stage  of  the 
report  that  it  was  now  6  P.  M.  It  seems  impossible  to 
stretch  any  action  of  which  mention  is  made  so  as  to 
cover  the  time  between  three  and  six.  And  yet  it 
appears  from  an  examination  of  the  ground,  that  Cus- 


~  THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  337 

ter  could  not,  at  three,  have  been  more  than  three 
miles  away.  And,  in  the  interim,  the  little  squad  of 
dismounted  men  whom  Benteen  saw  across  the  river, 
had  beaten  off  the  Indians  opposed  to  them  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Reno  without  loss  I  But  Reno's 
command  was  attacked,  as  aforesaid,  about  6  p.  M.; 
held  its  ground  with  the  loss  of  eighteen  killed  and 
forty-six  wounded,  and  had  the  enemy  beaten  off  by 
9  P.  M.  There  is  every  evidence  that  Reno  behaved 
with  coolness  and  bravery,  and  Benteen  with  proper 
activity,  during  this  battle;  and  still  the  report  does 
not  inform  us  as  to  the  exercise  of  those  qualities 
earlier  in  the  afternoon. 

And  where  all  this  time  was  Custer?  The  trail, 
the  heaps  of  dead,  and  the  few  accounts  from  eye-wit- 
nesses tell  a  plain  story.  He  came  at  high  speed  to  a 
ford  of  the  Little  Horn,  which  would  have  brought 
him  about  the  middle  of  the  Indian  camps.  But  in 
this  short  space  of  time  the  Indians  had  vanquished 
Reno,  and  their  whole  force  was  there  to  oppose  him. 
He  gave  back  from  the  ford,  and  the  Indians  followed 
in  overwhelming  numbers.  They  were  now  on  the 
way  he  had  come,  and  he  continued  his  retreat  along 
the  bluffs  down  the  river.  He  had  in  his  command 
but  four  hundred  and  twenty  men,  and  the  Indians 
must  have  numbered  nearly  two  thousand.  Who  can 
tell  the  agony  of  that  terrible  retreat  and  last  desperate 
struggle?  When  the  command  had  reached  a  point 
nearly  a  mile  from  the  ford,  Custer  evidently  saw  that 
a  sacrifice  was  necessary  to  save,  if  possible,  a  rem- 


22 


338  HOW  I  KNOW. 

nant  of  his  command.  To  this  end  he  chose  his 
brother-in-law,  Lieutenant  James  Calhoun;  with  him 
was  Lieutenant  Crittenden,  their  company  having  been 
selected  to  cover  the  retreat.  They  were  found  in 
line  all  dead  together,  the  officers  in  their  proper  places 
in  the  rear,  the  company  having  died  fighting  to  the 
last  man. 

A  little  further  on  another  desperate  stand  was 
made.  Then  a  mile  from  the  scene  of  Calhoun's 
death,  on  the  ridge  parallel  with  the  stream,  Captain 
Keogh's  company  made  a  stand  to  cover  the  retreat. 
Keogh  had  evidently  nerved  himself  for  death.  He 
was  an  old  and  able  soldier.  He  was  an  officer  in  the 
Papal  service  when  Garibaldi  made  war  upon  the  Pope, 
and  had  served  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac  during  the 
war.  Down  went  he  and  his  company,  slaughtered  in 
position,  every  man  maintaining  his  place  and  fighting 
desperately  to  the  last. 

Custer,  with  the  remnant  of  his  command  had  taken 
up  his  position  on  the  next  hill.  Curly,  the  Upsaroka 
scout,  tells  us  that  he  ran  to  Custer,  when  he  saw  that 
the  command  was  doomed,  and  offered  to  show  him  a 
way  of  escape.  General  Custer  dropped  his  head,  as 
if  in  thought,  for  one  moment,  then  suddenly  jerking1 
it  up  again  he  stamped  his  foot,  and,  waving  Curly 
away  with  his  sword,  turned  to  rejoin  his  men.  In 
that  brief  interval  of  thought  he  had  decided  to  die 
with  his  men  rather  than  attempt  to  escape.  There 
had  been  a  short  lull  in  the  fight,  while  the  Sioux  were 
maneuvering  for  a  better  position.  The  firing  now 


THE   CUSTER   MASSACRE. 


339 


re-commenced    with    more    fury    than     ever.      Curly 
dashed   into  a  ravine,  let  down   his    hair  so  as  to  re- 


FIGHTING   HAND  TO   HAND. 


semble  a  Sioux  as  much  as  possible,  mounted  a  horse, 
and  joined  in  the  next  charge;  but  watched  his  oppor- 


340  HOW  I  KNOW. 

tunity  to  put  on  a  Sioux  blanket,  and  in  the  heat  of 
the  battle  slipped  away. 

Custer  had  now  made  his  last  stand.  It  was  on 
the  most  commanding  point  of  the  ridge;  and  there, 
with  Captain  Yates,  Colonel  Cook,  Captain  Custer,  Lieu- 
tenant Riley,  and  thirty-two  men  of  Yates'  command, 
he  fought  desperately  to  the  last.  One  by  one  his 
companions  fell  around  him.  Nearer  and  nearer  came 
the  Sioux,  like  hounds  baying  a  lion,  dashing  around 
and  firing  into  the  command  on  all  sides.  Finally,  the 
whites  made  a  sort  of  barricade  of  their  dead  horses, 
and  again  for  a  few  minutes  held  the  savages  at  bay. 
Then  Rain-in-the-Face,  bravest  Indian  in  the  North- 
west, gathered  his  most  trusty  followers  for  a  hand-to- 
hand  charge.  Custer  fought  like  a  tiger.  With  blood 
streaming  from  half  a  dozen  gaping  wounds,  he  killed  or 
disabled  three  of  the  enemy  with  his  saber,  and  when 
his  last  support  was  gone,  as  he  lunged  desperately  at 
his  nearest  enemy,  Rain-in-the-Face  kept  his  oath  and 
shot  the  heroic  commander  dead. 

But  the  battle  was  not  over.  Captain  Custer  and 
Captain  Smith  tried  to  cut  their  way  back  to  the  river, 
and  in  the  ravine  leading  that  way  twenty-six  men 
were  found  dead.  The  heroic  remnant  made  their  last 
stand  near  the  river,  and  there  every  man  was  found 
dead  in  position,  every  officer  in  his  place,  every  wound 
in  front.  The  awful  tragedy  ended  with  the  day. 
General  Custer  lay  dead  on  the  hill.  Beside  him  lay 
Colonel  Tom  Custer,  who  enlisted  as  a  private  at  six- 
teen, was  an  officer  at  nineteen,  and  had  been  twice 


THE    CUSTER   MASSACRE.  341 

decorated  for  bravery  in  action.  In  the  same  slaughter 
died  two  more  of  the  family.  Boston  Custer,  forage- 
master  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  had  sought  the  open- 
air  life  of  the  plains  to  ward  off  a  tendency  to  con- 
sumption, which  early  manifested  itself.  He  avoided  a 
lingering  death  by  a  heroic  exit,  fit  subject  for  epic 
poem  or  thrilling  romance.  And  there  was  young 
"Autie"  Reed,  a  mere  boy,  named  after  General  Cus- 
ter himself,  his  nephew,  son  of  the  older  sister,  who 
had,  in  fact,  reared  the  General.  It  was  cruel  that  he, 
too,  should  die  in  this  fearful  massacre.  Autie  was 
just  out  of  school,  and  was  eager  to  go  on  the  plains 
"with  Uncle  Autie."  To  please  the  lad  Custer  had 
him  and  a  class-mate  appointed  herders,  to  drive  the 
cattle  accompanying  the  column.  He  had  come  with 
his  uncle  on  this  last  scout,  and  here  met  with  his  death, 
equally  brave  with  the  bravest.  Lieutenant  James 
Calhoun,  the  remaining  member  of  this  relationship, 
had  married  Maggie  E.  Custer,  the  General's  only 
sister,  in  1872;  and  in  every  emergency  showed  him- 
self worthy  of  adoption  into  this  brave  family.  Cheered 
on  by  his  voice,  every  man  of  his  company  died  in 
place.  With  him  was  Lieutenant  Crittenden  of  the 
Twelfth  Infantry,  a  mere  boy,  just  appointed,  but  cool 
as  a  veteran  through  all  the  terrible  scene.  A  whole 
brotherhood  of  brave  officers  were  cut  off;  for  Custer 
had  gathered  around  him  a  circle  of  choice  spirits,  who 
admired  his  dash,  and  emulated  his  bravery.  There  was 
the  Adjutant,  Col.  Wm.  W.  Cook,  a  Canadian  by  birth, 
who  had  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-fourth  New  York 


342  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Cavalry  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  risen  to  be 
its  Colonel.  And  Captain  Yates,  who  enlisted  as  a 
private  at  sixteen  and  worked  his  way  up.  They  used 
to  call  his  company  the  "  band-box  troop,"  they  were 
so  neat  in  their  dress  and  equipments;  but  every  man 
of  them  died  at  his  post.  The  last  commander  of  all 
was  Captain  Algernon  E.  Smith,  who  won  renown  at 
the  storming  of  Fort  Fisher;  was  wounded,  and  for 
his  bravery  made  brevet  Major.  But,  perhaps,  the 
s-addest  loss  of  all  was  that  of  Lieutenant  William  Van 
W.  Riley.  He  was  of  heroic  stock.  His  father,  an 
officer  in  the  navy,  went  down  with  his  ship  in  the 
Indian  Ocean  a  short  time  before  William  was  born. 
He  left  his  widowed  mother  for  this  expedition,  and 
died  in  company  with  all  the  brave  men  who  then  made 
their  last  fight.  The  night  fell  upon  all  these  brave  offi- 
cers and  three  hundred  men,  lying  dead  upon  the  field. 
A  full  history  of  the  battle  is  not  yet  known.  This 
I  say,  despite  the  fact  that  military  reports  have  been 
made  by  the  commanders,  and  published  by  authority. 
But  they  leave  much  unknown.  In  a  quiet  way  there 
has  been  much  crimination  and  re-crimination;  one 
party  has  accused  Reno  and  Benteen  of  cowardice  or 
disobedience;  the  other,  including  General  Grant,  has 
charged  that  Custer  exceeded  his  orders  and  sacrificed 
his  command.  Without  adopting  the  extreme  view 
of  either  side,  this  would  seem  to  a  civilian  about  the 
correct  state  of  the  case:  The  regiment  attacked  a 
force  of  Indians  outnumbering  the  soldiers  two  or 
three  to  one,  and  well  armed,  ready  for  fight,  well 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  243 

posted,  in  broad  day,  when  me-n  and  animals  were 
fatigued,  and  so  insured  defeat;  then,  Reno  and  Ben- 
teen,  seeing  that  retreat  was  a  certainty,  thought  best 
to  keep  out  of  the  fight,  perhaps  supposing  that  Custer 
would,  in  like  manner,  retreat  after  a  brief  skirmish. 
I  cannot  see  that  victory  would  have  been  possible  in 
any  event — no  matter  if  the  whole  force  had  attacked 
at  once,  as  originally  intended. 

This  disaster,  of  course,  spoiled  the  original  plan. 
General  Gibbon  came  up  with  re-inforcements,  and  the 
Indians  moved.  Successive  minor  battles  and  skir- 
mishes followed,  by  which,  though  no  one  great  victory 
was  gained,  the  hostiles  were  slowly  worn  out  and 
scattered.  Many  of  the  braves  made  their  way  back 
to  the  agencies,  others  retreated  to  less  accessible  posi- 
tions in  the  mountains,  and  Sitting  Bull,  with  a  remnant, 
retreated  into  British  America,  whence,  at  this  writing, 
negotiations  are  pending  to  have  him  removed.  The 
war  in  that  section  is  dying  out,  but  a  few  words  addi- 
tional may  be  appropriate  of  the  Indians  in  general. 
A  glance  at  a  map  of  Aboriginal  America  will  show 
that  very  few  of  the  Indian  nations  have  retained  their 
original  locations;  but  it  must  not  be  judged  therefrom 
that  numerous  tribes  have  become  extinct.  The  Indian 
population  of  this  country,  at  the  landing  of  Columbus, 
has  been  greatly  exaggerated.  It  is  demonstrable  that 
all  that  part  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi never  contained  a  half  million  of  Indians;  some 
authorities  say  a  quarter  of  a  million.  It  is  apparent, 
at  a  glance,  that  a  country  like  Ohio  will  sustain  four 


344  HOW  I  KNOW. 

hundred  times  as  many  people  in  the  civilized  as  in  the 
savage  state.  When  men  live  upon  game  and  the 
spontaneous  products  of  the  earth,  it  must  be  a  fer- 
tile land  indeed,  which  will  sustain  an  average  of  one 
person  to  the  square  mile.  When  we  pass  to  the 
Indian  of  the  plains  the  original  population  was  sparser 
still.  But  there  we  find  some  of  the  races  on  the  soil 
where  first  discovered.  The  Sioux  have  steadily  con- 
tracted their  eastern  border,  while  maintaining  their 
western  border  intact.  But  if,  leaving  history,  we  take 
tradition,  we  find  that  the  Indian  tribes  have  been 
engaged  for  centuries  in  a  series  of  migrations,  the 
northern  ones,  as  a  rule,  slowly  pushing  southward. 
As  all  our  mountain  chains  run  north  and  south,  it 
follows  that  the  people  of  this  country  cannot  grow 
into  distinct  races  as  in  Europe,  where  different  cli- 
mates and  soils  are  partitioned  off  by  natural  barriers. 
Hence  the  Indian,  from  Manitoba  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
is  one;  hence,  too,  half  a  million  men  of  the  West 
rose  in  arms  to  prevent  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
being  "held  by  an  alien  government."  Of  the  Indian 
migrations,  the  best  authenticated  are  those  of  the 
Shoshonees  and  Sioux,  which  are  referred  to  in  the 
following  legend,  as  related  to  the  interpreter  by  Susu- 
ceicha,  a  Sioux  chief: 

"Ages  past  the  Lacotas  (or  Dakotas,  i.  £.,  Sioux)  lived 
in  a  land  far  above  the  sun  of  winter. 

"  Here,  then,  the  Shoshonee  had  all,  but  these  basins 
were  yet  full  of  water,  and  the  buffalo  ranged  even  to 
Salt  Land  (Utah). 


THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE.  345 

"Ages  passed.  The  Shoshonees  gave  place  to  the 
Scarred  Arms  (Cheyennes).  The  Lacotas  came  toward 
the  sun  and  fought  long  with  the  Scarred  Arms.  A 
great  party  came  far  into  the  inner  plain  (Laramie) 
and  fell  into  a  snare,  all  were  killed  by  the  Scarred 
Arms  but  six;  these  hid  in  a  hole  in  the  mountain. 

"  They  built  a  fire  and  dressed  their  wounds;  they 
hoped  to  stay  many  days  till  the  Scarred  Arms  left 
the  plain.  But  a  form  rose  from  the  dark  corner  of 
the  cave;  it  was  a  woman — old  as  the  red  mountain 
that  was  scarred  by  Waukan.  Her  hair  was  like  wool; 
she  was  feeble  and  wrinkled.  She  spoke: 

" '  Children,  you  have  been  against  the  Scarred 
Arms.  You  alone  live.  I  know  it  all.  But  your 
fire  has  waked  me,  and  the  full  time  of  my  dream  has 
come.  Listen: 

" '  Long  ago  the  Shoshonees  visited  the  Lacotas; 
the  prairie  took  in  the  blood  of  many  Lacota  braves, 
and  I  was  made  captive.  The  Shoshonees  brought 
me  here,  but  I  was  not  happy.  I  fled.  I  was  weak. 
I  took  refuge  in  this  cave. 

"'But  look!  Where  are  the  Shoshonees?  The 
Lacotas  will  soon  know  them,  and  bring  from  their 
lodges  many  scalps  and  medicine  dogs.  They  have 
fled  before  the  Scarred  Arms.  One-half  crossed  the 
snow  hills  toward  sunset;  the  other  went  toward  the 
sun,  and  now  hunt  the  buffalo  east  of  the  Ispanola's 
earth  lodges.  But  my  eyes  were  sealed  for  ages  till 
my  people  should  come.  The  Scarred  Arms  have 
long  thought  this  land  their  own,  but  it  is  not.  Wau- 


346  HOW  I  KNOW. 

kantunga  gives  it  to  the  Lacotas;  they  shall  possess  the 
land  of  their  daughter's  captivity.  But  why  wait  ye? 
Go,  gather  your  warriors  and  attack  the  Scarred  Arms. 
Fear  not,  their  scalps  are  yours.' 

"  The  warriors  did  return.  They  found  the  Scarred 
Arms  a.t  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  drove  them 
to  the  South.  Our  grateful  braves  then  sought  the 
mountain  to  reverence  the  medicine  woman,  who  told 
them  so  many  good  things.  But  woman  and  cave 
were  gone.  There  was  only  a  cleft  in  the  mountain 
side  from  which  came  a  cold  stream  of  water.  Then 
the  Lacotas  made  peace  with  the  Scarred  Arms. 
Each  year  our  warriors  visit  the  Shoshonees  for  scalps 
and  medicine  dogs,  and  each  of  our  braves,  as  he 
passes  the  old  woman's  spring,  stops  to  quench  his 
thirst  and  yield  a  tribute  of  veneration." 

The  Shoshonees  not  only  have  a  legend  answering 
to  this,  but  name  the  various  times  when  the  Coman- 
ches,  Arapahoes,  and  Apaches  seceded  from  the  main 
body.  Thus,  this  great  colony  of  the  Athabascan 
race,  slowly  moving  southward,  has  sent  off  branches 
right  and  left,  from  the  Saskatchewan  to  the  Rio 
Grande  and  Gulf  of  California. 

It  would  surprise  some  people  who  have  been 
indignant  over  the  death  of  Custer  and  his  companions 
to  learn  how  small,  comparatively,  is  the  number  of 
hostile  Indians.  A  strip  of  five  hundred  miles  wide, 
from  the  Missouri  to  the  Pacific,  is  rarely  visited  by 
hostiles;  and  at  no  time,  for  the  past  ten  years,  have 
more  than  one-fifth  of  the  race  been  in  arms  or  even 


THE    CUSTER   MASSACRE.  347 

threatening.  All  the  border  States,  except  Texas,  are 
free  from  hostiles.  Of  the  nine  Territories,  only  three 
have  been  seriously  troubled  since  1867,  and  the  three 
Pacific  States  have  had  even  a  longer  exemption.  Within 
that  time  Indian  hostilities  have  been  confined  to  three 
districts.  First,  and  greatest,  is  that  strip  of  mountain, 
forest,  and  desert,  including  all  Northern  Wyoming, 
South-eastern  and  Eastern  Montana,  and  a  small  por- 
tion of  Western  Dakota.  Next  are  the  highlands  of 
Western  Texas,  raided  by  the  Comanches  and  their 
allies;  and,  lastly,  that  part  of  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona dominated  by  the  Apaches.  To  judge  how  con- 
temptible a  performance  an  Indian  war  is,  how  small 
the  glory  in  proportion  to  the  aggravation,  be  it  noted 
that  the  whole  Apache  race  numbers  less  than  eight 
thousand,  and  cannot  possibly  mount  two  thousand 
warriors. 

If  it  be  decided  that  the  three  hundred  thous- 
and Indians  in  the  United  States  (or  rather  the  two 
hundred  thousand  wild  ones)  are  to  "die  off,"  then  by 
all  means  let  a  "feeding  policy"  be  pursued;  it  is  so 
much  cheaper  to  kill  them  by  kindness  than  by  war. 
Since  1860  the  average  cost  of  killing  Indians  has 
been  about  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  each.  One- 
tenth  of  that  amount  would  stuff  one  to  death.  If,  I 
say,  the  theory  of  final  extermination  be  adopted,  the 
most  Christian  and,  by  all  odds,  the  cheapest  plan 
would  be  this:  Let  central  depots  be  established  along 
the  Pacific  Railway  and  at  other  accessible  points,  and 
give  general  notice  that  every  Indian  who  will  come 


348  HOW  I  KNOW. 

there  and  live  shall  have  all  the  bread,  meat,  coffee, 
sugar,  whisky  and  tobacco  he  can  consume.  The  last 
man  of  them  would  be  dead  in  ten  years,  and  at  a  cost 
not  exceeding  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  killing  price. 
Since  the  Mormons  began  the  feeding  policy  with  their 
nearest  Indian  neighbors,  the  latter  have  died  off  much 
more  rapidly  than  when  at  war.  They  can't  stand 
petting  any  more  than  a  rabbit. 


WHERE  SHALL   WE  SETTLE.  349 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

WHERE  SHALL  WE  SETTLE? 
[From  WESTERN  WILDS,  by  permission.] 

FIVE  million  Americans  are  asking  this  question. 
They  will  take  Greeley's  advice  and  go  West; 
but  are  as  yet  undecided  as  to  locality.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, briefly  note  the  good  and  bad  features  of  various 
sections.  Imprimis,  then,  there  is  no  paradise  in  the 
West;  no  region  where  one  will  not  find  serious  draw- 
backs in  climate,  soil  or  society. 

If  you  like  a  middle  northern  clime,  there  is  no 
better  place  than  southern  Minnesota  and  the  adjacent 
parts  of  Dakota.  These  have  one  great  advantage 
over  northern  Iowa:  the  vacant  land  is  still  in  the 
market  at  government  prices;  in  Iowa  it  has  been 
granted  too  extensively,  and  railroads  and  speculators 
owrr  too  much  of  it  in  large  bodies.  In  the  long  run 
they  lose  money  by  holding  it  in  this  way;  they  would 
do  well  to  sell  and  invest  elsewhere;  but  they  have  not 
found  that  out  yet.  By  and  by  the  residents  will  learn 
how  to  make  non-resident  land  pay  all  the  taxes,  as  it 
now  pays  quite  half,  and  then  the  speculators  will  sell 
cheap;  but  at  present  it  would  be  advisable  to  locate 
where  there  is  not  so  much  non-resident  land.  The 
arguments  now  so  common  against  these  grants  apply 
only  to  the  border  States;  all  the  land  given  to  the 
railroads  west  of  longtitude  100,  was  not  worth  one 


350  HOW  I  KNOW. 

day's  debate  in  Congress.  The  income  from  it  will 
never  pay  interest  at  a  dollar  an  acre.  The  climate  of 
Minnesota  may  be  divided  thus:  summer,  four  months; 
winter,  five  months;  spring  and  autumn,  six  weeks 
each.  In  fact,  it  is  less  than  six  weeks  from  the  end 
of  the  snowy  season  to  the  coming  of  early  fruits;  but 
they  call  it  spring  the  first  of  April,  though  the  snow 
be  six  inches  deep. 

The  quickness  of  vegetation  is  amazing.  In  August, 
along  the  Blue-Earth  River,  one  can  scarcely  believe 
he  is  not  in  a  tropical  country;  the  heavy  forests  of 
lynn  and  walnut,  the  groves  of  sugar  maple  supporting 
a  dense  leafy  mass,  the  dark  green  vistas  and  rich  natural 
parks,  with  the  rank  grass  on  the  prairies  seem  out  of 
place  so  far  north.  By  November  this  gives  way  to 
snow,  which  remains  till  April  first  or  tenth.  It  then 
seems  to  disappear  all  at  once.  The  black  sandy  soil 
dries  out  thoroughly  in  a  week;  but  the  air  is  still  cool 
enough  to  justify  an  overcoat,  and  for  a  fortnight  there 
are  only  brown  plains  and  gray  woods,  with  no  hint 
of  dawning  life.  A  few  days  of  warmth,  and  there  is 
a  swelling  and  fluttering  perceptible  on  the  bosom  of 
Nature;  then  grass,  bush,  branch  and  vine  spring 
quickly  into  living  green,  and  in  one  month  tropic 
luxuriance  succeeds  wintry  death.  But  September 
clothes  this  region  in  its  most  attractive  dress.  The 
frost  turns  one  thicket  purple,  another  bright  red  or 
golden  yellow,  while  the  large  timber  is  still  green; 
through  the  glades  blows  the  cool  and  stimulating  air, 
and  over  all  is  the  soft  blue  sky  of  the  Garden  State. 


WHERE  SHALL   WE  SETTLE.  351 

The  advantages  of  this  country  are:  abundant  tim- 
ber and  running  water,  regular  and  exceedingly  health- 
ful climate,  fertile  soil,  freedom  from  droughts  and 
freshets,  and  land  of  excellent  quality  still  to  be  had  at 


WINTER   IX   THE    MINNESOTA    PINERIES. 

reasonable  rates.  Its  disadvantages:  a  long  cold  winter 
and  occasional  liability  to  grasshoppers  —  the  latter, 
however,  very  rare.  The  vegetable  productions  are  re- 
markable, though  report  sometimes  exaggerates.  Tra- 


352  HOW  I  KNOW. 

dition  tells  of  one  Minnesota  Granger,  who  happened 
to  be  examining  a  cucumber  just  as  the  season  of  rapid 
growth  set  in.  As  he  backed  out  to  give  it  room,  the 
growing  vine  followed  him  so  rapidly  that  he  took  to 
his  heels,  but  was  soon  overtaken.  It  grew  all  around 
him,  tangled  up  his  legs,  and  threw  him  down.  Reach- 
ing in  great  haste  for  his  knife  to  cut  himself  loose, 
he  found  that  a  cucumber  had  gone  to  seed  in  his 
breeches  pocket. 

The  adjoining  part  of  Dakota  has  similar  climate 
and  soil,  but  two  disadvantages:  there  is  less  timber 
and  more  wind.  But  land  is  much  cheaper.  Hun- 
dreds of  sections  in  every  county  can  still  be  had  at 
Government  rates;  and  in  the  older  settlements  im- 
proved farms  can  even  now  be  bought  very  cheap. 
Timber  grows  rapidly,  and  all  the  old  settlers  assure 
me  they  soon  grow  accustomed  to  the  wind.  I  have 
noticed  in  all  my  western  wanderings  that  the  regions 
of  abundant  wind  are  those  most  free  from  malaria. 
The  only  exception,  if  it  is  one,  is  in  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory, where  there  is  wind  enough,  and  yet  much  com- 
plaint on  the  score  of  fever  and  ague.  Despite  my 
experience  with  the  high  winds  of  Dakota,  I  am  in- 
clined to  set  down  as  fabulous  the  statement  sometimes 
made  by  the  envious,  that  an  old  Dakotian  cannot  talk 
if  the  wind  suddenly  stops  blowing.  So  used  to  it, 
you  know. 

Iowa  I  have  already  described  at  some  length.  I 
cannot  get  rid  of  the  impression  that  the  northern  part 
of  it  is  colder  than  the  neighboring  part  of  Minnesota. 


WHERE  SHALL    WE  SETTLE.  353 

There  is  less  timber,  and  the  wind  has  a  fairer  fling  at 
a  man.  Artificial  groves  grow  rapidly,  and  the  soil  is 
of  great  fertility.  And,  if  you  find  there  is  too  much 
non-resident  land  in  your  vicinity,  you  can  help  your 
good  neighbors  stick  the  taxes  on  it  till  the  owner  is 
willing  to  sell  for  whatever  he  can  get.  I  have  a 
friend  who  has  paid  $620  taxes  in  ten  years  on  a 
quarter  section  of  Iowa  land,  and  is  now  ready  to  sell 
to  some  man  who  owns  a  gold  mine  or  a  spouting  oil- 
well.  We  have  all  heard  of  the  man  who  ate  so  much 
it  made  him  poor  to  carry  it.  Similarly,  some  people 
own  so  much  western  land,  that  it  will  break  them  up 
to  keep  it.  The  settlers  do  not  intend  that  non-resi- 
dents shall  get  the  benefit  of  their  hard-pioneering — 
and  who  shall  blame  them? 

Let  us  go  a  little  further  south.  Northern  Nebraska 
I  know  but  little  about,  but  in  the  southern  part  of  that 
State  is  a  region  which  seems  to  me  peculiarly  inviting 
to  men  from  the  Middle  Northern  States.  "South 
Platte,"  as  this  division  is  called,  contains  at  least 
twenty-five  thousand  square  miles  of  fertile  land,  of 
which  one-half  or  more  is  for  sale  quite  cheap.  The 
climate  is  perceptibly  milder  than  that  of  "North 
Platte,"  and  all  the  fruits  and  grains  of  the  temperate 
zone  are  produced  on  a  generous  soil.  Along  the  line 
of  the  Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad,  land  is 
held  at  high  rates;  but  in  the  rest  of  the  country  it  can 
be  bought  at  from  five  to  eight  dollars  per  acre.. 
There  is  no  government  land  in  this  section  worth 
naming.  The  climate  is  about  like  that  of  central 


354  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Ohio,  with  dryer  winters  and  more  wind.  This  last 
you  may  retain  as  a  general  statement  as  to  all  the 
border  States.  Society  is  most  excellent.  The  popu- 
lation is  intelligent  and  progressive,  and  nowhere  does 
a  man  find  himself  out  of  reach  of  the  church  and 
school-house.  Going  westward  on  any  line  one  will 
find  the  winters  growing  dryer,  also  more  "  airish."  So 
the  doubting  emigrant  may  ask  himself  "whether  'tis 
nobler  in  a  man  to  suffer"  cold  healthful  winds,  to 
have  dry  roads  and  freedom  from  mud;  or  take  refuge 
in  the  wooded  regions  of  Indiana  or  Missouri,  avoid 
the  winds  and  suffer  the  other  evils. 

We  now  turn  to  a  region  more  affected  by  men 
from  the  middle  latitudes.  In  many  weeks'  travel  be- 
tween the  Des  Moines  and  Arkansas,  one-fifth  or  more 
of  those  I  met  were  from  Ohio,  and  nearly  all  of  them 
had  sought  this  region  since  the  war.  Kansas,  like 
Nebraska,  is  divided  into  northern  and  southern  —  this 
by  the  Kaw,  that  by  the  Platte.  North-eastern  Kansas 
is  already  an  old  country;  Donivan  County  was  pretty 
well  settled  twenty  years  ago.  A  hundred  miles  west 
of  the  Missouri  land  can  still  be  had  at  reasonable 
rates,  but  I  have  never  visited  that  section.  When  we 
come  to  southern  Kansas  an  inviting  field,  indeed,  is 
open  to  us.  Good  land  is  cheaper  to-day  than  it  was 
five  years  ago.  This  I  happen  to  know  from  painful 
personal  experience.  But  it  don't  follow  that  it  will  be 
cheaper  still  five  years  from  now.  Surely  "the  bot- 
tom" is  reached  by  this  time.  In  the  second  tier  of 
counties,  including  Anderson,  Allen,  Neosho  and  La- 


WHERE  SHALL   WE  SETTLE. 


355 


bette,  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  and  Galveston  Rail- 
road Company  have  large  tracts  of  good  land  for  sale; 
and  private  owners  a  still  larger  amount. 

This  region  boasts  of  many  advantages:  a  mild 
climate,  soil  of  rare  fertility,  timber  sufficient  for  all 
ordinary  purposes,  rock  in  abundance,  and  easy  com- 
munication with  the  rest  of  the  world.  Society  is  un- 
surpassed by  that  of  any  section,  east  or  west. 
Churches  and  school-houses  are  within  convenient 
reach  of  every 
section  of  land, 
and  a  man  can 
not  settle  in  so 
wild  a  spot  that 
the  mail  will 
not  bring  him 
late  papers  at 
least  twi  ce 
a  week.  For 
seven  years  this 
region  was 
blessed  with 
good  crops;  then  came  the  "bad  year"  of  1874,  when 
drought,  chintz-bugs  and  grasshoppers  in  succession 
desolated  the  land.  In  Allen  County  large  streams 
dried  to  beds  of  dust,  the  fish  literally  parching  on  the 
rocks;  and  pools  and  springs  disappeared  which  the 
oldest  inhabitants  had  considered  perennial.  In  1875 
nature  resumed  her  wonted  courses;  but  the  people 
had  been  too  poor  to  sow  wheat,  and  the  country  re- 


DROUGHTY    KANSAS. 


356  HOW  I  KNOW. 

mained  in  a  condition  of  general  poverty.  But  such  a 
crop  otherwise  I  had  never  seen.  There  were  miles 
on  miles  of  cornfields,  yielding  from  forty  to  eighty 
bushels  per  acre,  and  for  sale  at  twenty  cents  per 
bushel;  tens  of  thousands  of  tons  of  hay,  worth  two 
dollars  per  ton  in  the  stack;  potatoes  by  millions,  and 
more  feed  than  the  stock  could  eat.  And  there  was 
the  trouble.  The  people  had  not  a  sufficiently  diversi- 
fied industry.  They  had  relied  almost  entirely  on  the 
sale  of  grain,  and  this  year  there  was  no  sale,  and  they 
remained  poor  despite  their  immense  crops.  I  came 
down  from  the  mountains  on  a  visit  just  after  the  last 
grasshoppers  had  left,  and  a  rural  wag  gave  me  this 
dialect  picture  of  his  experience  with  them: 

"You  see  I  bought  early  in  '72 — give  two  thousand 
two  hundred  dollars  for  two  hundred  and  fortv  acres. 

«/ 

Could  a  bought  the  same  for  half  that  two  years  after; 
can  buy  good  land  right  alongside  o'  mine  now  for  a 
V  an  acre.  Been  a  deal  o'  cramp  in  real  estate  in  this 
country.  Well,  nobody  ever  makes  a  crop  the  first 
year  in  a  prairie  country — think  themselves  in  luck  to 
get  fences  built  and  sod  broke.  I  bought  a  hundred 
sheep — two  blooded  rams  and  the  rest  common  ewes 
—  and  put  all  the  rest  of  my  money  in  improve- 
ments. Raised  a  little  corn  and  oats  in  1873,  and  put 
thirty  acres  of  the  new  land,  sod  broke  in  1872,  into 
wheat  and  went  to  work  with  a  hurrah  in  1874  to 
make  a  God-awful  crop.  Everything  come  a  booming, 
and  I  thought  I  had  the  world  in  a  sling.  Corn,  oats, 
potatoes  and  wheat  just  got  up  and  laughed;  they 


WHERE  SHALL    WE   SETTLE.  357 

grew  so  fine.  Thought  I  never  saw  such  a  country 
for  things  to  grow.  Worked  all  the  week,  and  used 
to  set  on  the  fence  Sunday  and  calculate  how  rich  I'd 
be.  Went  out  one  fine  sunny  morning  about  the  first 
of  June,  and  thought,  by  jiminy,  the  whole  ground  was 
a  moving.  Ten  million  hoppers  to  the  square  yard — 
all  chawin'  away  as  if  the  country  belonged  to  'em. 
Saturday  morning  they  come  into  my  farm  from  a 
ridge  just  south  o'  me — Sunday  noon  there  wasn't  a 
green  thing  where  the  corn,  cane  and  potatoes  had 
been.  Job's  luck  wasn't  a  circumstance.  My  corn  lot 
looked  as  if  forty  bands  of  wild  Arabs  had  fell  onto  it. 
Not  a  smidgeon  left — just  bodaciously  chawed  up  and 
spit  out. 

"  Well,  of  course,  I  had  the  dumps.     But  I  rallied. 
'All  right,'  says  I;  '  got  wheat  and  tobacco  left  anyhow.' 

Professor   P said  they  wouldn't  eat  tobacco;    but 

he's  a  fraud,  sir — a  barefaced  fraud.  The  hoppers 
just  went  up  on  a  ridge  north  of  me  and  shed  their 
second  coats,  and  then  come  back  on  the  tobacco. 
They  eat  every  leaf  clean  to  the  ground,  then  dug  up 
the  roots  and  set  on  the  fence  and  cussed  every  man 
that  come  along,  for  a  chaw.  About  that  time  they 
got  wings,  and  sudden  as  could  be  rose  in  the  air  and 
went  off  north  a  whirlin',  like  a  shower  o'  \vhite  and 
yellow  paper  bits.  'All  right,'  says  I;  'they've  left  my 
wheat  anyhow.'  Singular  enough  they  didn't  touch 
it;  it  was  on  t'other  side  the  place,  and  out  o'  their 
track.  Well,  I  rallied  again,  and  counted  on  six  hun- 
dred bushels  o'  wheat — and  wheat's  the  money  crop  in 


358  HOW  I  KNOW. 

this  country.  About  June  the  middle,  I  noticed  all  at 
once  that  my  wheat  looked  kind  o'  sick.  Come  to 
examine,  sir,  it  was  completely  lined  with  a  little,  mis- 
erable, black  and  yellow,  nasty-smelling  bug.  I  took 
some  to  a  man  'at  had  been  here  ten  years.  '  Neigh- 
bor,' says  he,  '  you're  a  goner;  them's  chintz-bugs,  and 
every  head  o'  that  wheat  that  an't  cut,  '11  be  et  up  in 
forty-eight  hours.'  Well,  it  was  Sunday  morning,  and 
the  wheat  nothing  like  ripe;  but  it  was  a  chance,  and 
I  got  onto  my  reaper  and  banged  down  every  hoot  of 
it  before  Monday  night.  It  cured  in  the  sun  and  the 
bugs  left  it,  and  out  o'  the  lot  I  got  just  a  hundred  and 
forty  bushels  o'  shrunk-up  stuff.  It  was  a  hundred  and 
forty  bushels  more  than  any  o'  my  neighbors  got. 
You  bet  there  was  improved  farms  for  sale  in  that 
neighborhood.  My  sheep  had  done  well,  and  that  was 
all  I  was  ahead.  Taking  it  by  and  large,  the  only  sure 
crop  is  sheep." 

He  touched  the  right  point  in  the  last  sentence; 
this  is  the  country  for  stock-growing.  Corn  and  hay 
can  be  produced  so  cheaply  that  the  cost  of  bringing 
a  full-grown  ox  into  market  is  less  than  half  what  it 
would  be  in  Ohio.  The  best  of  unimproved  land,  near 
the  railroad,  sometimes  sells  as  high  as  twelve  dollars 
per  acre;  from  that  it  ranges  down  to  four.  In  1875 
the  surplus  crop  of  the  State  was  worth  twelve  mil- 
lion dollars.  The  report,  for  that  year,  showed  that 
the  corn  raised  in  the  State,  if  shelled  and  put  in  box- 
cars, would  have  loaded  a  train  sixteen  hundred  miles 
long! 


WHERE   SHALL    WE   SETTLE. 


359 


The  Indian  Territory  is  much  talked  of,  but  I  would 
not  advise  any  one  to  go  there  with  a  view  to  perma- 
nent settlement.  Government  cannot  open  the  land  to 
immigration  without  a  shameful  breach  of  good  faith, 
and  for  one,  as  an  humble  citizen,  I  protest  against  it. 
There  is  such  an  abundance  of  good  land  elsewhere, 
that  we  can  afford  to  leave  this  to  the  civilized  Indians 

for  the  next  fifty  years. 
Then  their  progress 
will  have  been  such 
that  they  will  them- 
selves throw  it  open 
and  invite  white  set- 
tlers. Texas,  just 
south  of  it,  offers  a 
far  better  field.  Dallas 
is  the  center  of  a  re- 
gion  two  hundred 
miles  square,  which  of- 
fers great  inducements 
to  Northern  men.  The 
winters  are  sharp 

tO        IttSUTC 


TEXAS    AND   COAHUILA    IN    1830.  C 

health  and  energy;  and  the  summers  are  not,  as  far 
as  I  could  observe,  any  hotter  than  in  Minnesota. 
Land  through  all  this  section  can  be  had  at  from  four 
to  eight  dollars  per  acre.  There  are  now  Congres- 
sional lands  in  Texas;  it  is  all  State  land.  This  comes 
of  the  State  having  been  an  independent  republic  when 
it  came  into  the  Union.  It  reserved  the  ownership  of 


360  HOW  I  KNOW. 

all  lands  within  its  borders,  though  there  are  not  want- 
ing lawyers  who  assert  that  the  general  government 
might  have  rightfully  taken  those  lands  from  the  State, 
after  the  latter  had  seceded. 

Look  out  for  those  beautifully  colored  maps  which 
divide  Texas  into  various  agricultural  sections,  and 
locate  the  "  wheat  lands  "  away  up  on  the  heads  of  the 
Brazos,  Colorado  and  Red  River.  One  can  put  in  his 
eye  all  the  wheat  they  will  raise  up  there  without  an 
expansive  and  expensive  system  of  irrigation,  and  it 
will  puzzle  them  to  find  water  to  irrigate  with.  If  half 
that  region  is  fit  for  grazing  land,  it  is  the  best  we  can 
expect.  Southern  Texas  is  not  very  suitable  for  North- 
ern men.  Along  the  gulf  are  immense  areas  of  fine 
sugar  and  cotton  lands,  but  the  climate  is  not  favor- 
able. Not  that  the  heat  is  so  great;  but  the  summers 
are  long,  the  autumns  dry,  and  the  winters  first  warm, 
moist  and  debilitating,  and  then  very  chilly.  Central 
and  northern  Texas  are  free  from  these  disadvantages. 
The  immigrant  from  the  North  must  learn  a  new  sys- 
tem of  agriculture,  but  that  he  can  easily  do. 

Society?  Well,  I  found  it  very  agreeable.  If  there 
is  any  special  hostility  to  Northern  men,  or  Republi- 
cans, I  never  noticed  it.  The  latter  maintain  their 
organization,  sometimes  elect  their  candidate,  and 
always  give  him  a  hearty  support,  though  the  State 
has  been  Democratic  since  1872.  Texas  may  fairly 
claim  to  be  one  of  the  best  governed  States  in  the 
Union.  Except  on  the  south-western  border  the  ratio 
of  crimes  is  very  small.  In  1873  the  law  against 


WHERE   SHALL   WE   SETTLE.  361 

carrying  concealed  weapons  was  strictly  enforced  in 
the  railroad  towns — a  good  deal  more  than  can  be 
said  of  any  town  on  the  Union  or  Kansas  Pacific 
Railroads.  It  is  in  the  "cow  counties,"  in  the  extreme 
west  and  south-west,  that  some  lawlessness  still  prevails. 
The  law  as  to  concealed  weapons  excepts  those  coun- 
ties, it  being  considered  a  necessity  that  the  vacqueros 
should  go  prepared  for  "enterprising  Mexicans"  and 
other  cattle-thieves.  If  you  like  a  wild  country,  that's 
the  place  for  you,  and  if  that  is  not  wild  enough,  try 
the  Comanche  border.  There  the  mountainous  spurs 
put  out  toward  the  lower  country,  and  cut  it  up  into 
numerous  little  valleys.  Down  these  spurs  come  the 
savages,  often  lying  in  ambush  for  days  together  in  the 
scrubby  timber,  watching  the  ranches  below.  And  all 
this  time  the  settlers  go  about  their  usual  work  in 
assured  safety,  for  there  is  not  the  slightest  danger  till 
after  the  "strike."  One  might  walk  within  a  rod  of 
the  hidden  enemy  and  never  be  molested.  The  set- 
tlers see  signs  of  Indians  about,  but  feel  no  uneasiness; 
but  once  the  raid  is  made,  and  the  robbers  on  the  run 
for  cover,  they  kill  all  they  encounter,  and  even  slaugh- 
ter stock  they  cannot  take  away.  They  can  get  five 
or  ten  miles  more  running  out  of  a  horse  than  can  a 
white  man;  and  five  minutes  after  they  leave  him  he 
is  so  near  dead  that  he  cannot  be  forced  to  walk. 
When  hard  pressed  they  draw  a  knife,  hastily  make  a 
few  incisions  in  the  animal's  hide,  and  rub  in  salt  and 
powder.  As  the  cow-boys  express  it,  "it  puts  new 
life  in  a  hoss." 


362  HOW  I  KNOW. 

But  when  long  immunity  has  made  the  settlers 
careless,  there  sometimes  occur  tragedies  which  thrill 
the  country  with  horror,  and  are  told  for  years  by  the 
pioneers'  hearth-stone,  or  around  the  camp-fire,  where 
rude  borderers  teach  their  younger  companions  eternal 
hatred  of  all  the  Indian  race.  In  the  year  1850,  a 
Mississippian,  named  Lockhardt,  settled  a  little  farther 
up  the  Colorado  than  was  then  usual  with  families,  but 
still  in  a  region  thought  to  be  safe  from  Comanche 
raids;  and,  in  a  few  years,  was  surrounded  with  most 
of  the  comforts  of  his  more  eastern  home.  Wealth 
and  good  taste  united  to  improve  the  wild  beauty  of 
nature;  his  house,  elegant  indeed  for  the  border,  was  a 
temple  of  hospitality;  his  flocks  and  herds  ranged  over 
the  arena  of  a  dukedom;  his  colored  servants  scarce 
knew  they  had  a  master,  so  light  was  his  patriarchal 
sway;  and  far  and  near  the  name  of  'Squire  Lockhardt 
was  known  as  that  of  a  natural  nobleman  and  Texas 
gentleman.  The  friendly  Indians  that  passed  that  way 
also  partook  of  his  hospitality,  and  he  made  the  too 
common  mistake  of  supposing  that  this  would  shield 
him  against  the  incursions  of  their  wilder  congeners. 
But,  of  all  his  possessions,  none  was  so  widely  cele- 
brated as  his  daughter,  Minnie.  The  rude  vacgueros 
were  charmed  into  unusual  courtesy  at  sight  of  her; 
and,  from  far  and  near,  young  Texans  of  more  pre- 
tentions  sought  her  society.  On  the  border,  a  young 
woman  of  beauty  and  accomplishments  often  acquires 
a  wide-spread  fame  that  would  seem  impossible  to 
Eastern  people;  her  graces  are  recounted  in  such  fervid 


WHERE  SHALL    WE  SETTLE.  363 

rhetoric,  that  the  cold  critic  of  an  older  community 
would  think  of  her  as  a  fabulous  being.  Even  so  the 
charms  of  Minnie  Lockhardt  were  sung  in  a  hundred 
camps,  from  the  Trinity  to  the  Colorado. 

Many  other  settlers,  generally  single  men,  and  skillful 
frontiersmen,  had  located  between  Lockhardt  and  the 
staked  plain,  and  he  had  long  ceased  to  think  of  an 
Indian  raid  as  even  remotely  possible,  when  suddenly, 
as  lightning  from  a  clear  sky,  the  Indian  war  of  1854 
-'5  broke  out;  and,  from  the  settlements  on  the  upper 
Rio  Grande,  clear  around  to  the  Canadian,  the  border 
was  in  a  blaze.  The  Utes  and  Apaches  on  the  west 
pressed  the  Mexicans  and  whites,  while  the  Coman- 
ches,  from  their  fastnesses,  carried  destruction  far  down 
into  Texas.  The  storm  broke  while  Lockhardt  was 
absent  from  home.  Every  settler  near  him  was  killed; 
his  servants  fled  for  their  lives,  and  his  daughter,  then 
but  twenty  years  of  age,  was  carried  into  captivity. 
The  frenzied  father  sent  an  appeal  to  his  fellow- 
citizens,  and  it  seemed  that  the  whole  Texan  border 
was  moved  by  one  common  impulse.  Every  young 
Texan  who  could  supply  himself  with  horse  and  gun 
was  eager  to  assist  in  the  rescue  of  Minnie  Lockhardt; 
and,  as  soon  as  a  force  of  two  hundred  had  assembled, 
the  father  led  them  toward  the  high  country,  leaving 
word  for  the  others  to  follow.  Striking  the  trail  of  the 
Comanches,  the  Texans  followed  as  fast  as  the  strength 
of  their  horses  would  allow,  their  furious  zeal  contin- 
ually aroused  anew  by  the  sights  along  the  way,  where 
worn-out  captives  had  been  ruthlessly  murdered.  Sud- 


364  HO  W  I  KNO IV. 

denly,  at  daylight,  the  pursuers  came  upon  the  murder- 
ers in  one  of  those  numerous  canons  of  upper  Texas, 
where  the  savages  had  thought  themselves  safe. 

Then  ensued  one  of  the  most  desperately  contested 
battles  of  the  Texan  border.  The  Indian  camp  was 
set  far  back  in  a  grove  of  scrubby  timber,  on  all  sides 
of  which  rose  sandy  hillocks  and  detached  rocks,  fur- 
nishing admirable  lines  of  defense,  as  well  as  retreat. 
Again  and  again  did  the  Texans,  led  by  Lockhardt, 
penetrate  almost  to  the  camp,  only  to  be  driven  back; 
and,  on  each  advance,  they  distinctly  heard  the  voice 
of  Minnie  calling  on  them  for  help,  and  dreaded  lest 
their  attack  should  be  the  signal  for  her  death.  But  it 
appears  the  savages  were  bent  on  preserving  their 
captive  if  possible.  A  double  line  of  warriors  sur- 
rounded the  tent  in  which  she  was  bound;  and  at  last 
the  wretched  father,  bleeding  from  a  dozen  wounds, 
was  forced  away  by  his  men,  who  saw  that  the  attack 
was  hopeless.  Having  received  re-inforcements,  they 
renewed  .the  fight  the  second  day  after,  but  the  Indians 
had  also  collected  their  forces  and  taken  a  still  stronger 
position;  and  to  the  father,  lying  helpless  with  his 
wounds,  the  men  at  last  reported  that  the  attack  was 
hopeless,  unless  with  a  force  large  enough  to  sur- 
round the  Comanche  stronghold  and  reduce  it  by  a 
regular  siege. 

Successive  bands  of  Texans  arrived,  and  in  a  few 
days  the  father  again  urged  them  to  the  attack;  but 
the  Indians  had  managed  to  retreat,  carrying  Miss 
Lockhardt  with  them.  With  the  devilishness  inherent 


WHERE   SHALL   WE   SETTLE. 


3G5 


in   the   Comanche   nature,  they  were  all  the  more  de- 
termined   to    keep    her    when    they    saw   the    general 


SKIRMISH    WITH    INDIANS. 


anxiety    of    the    whites    for    her    recovery.      But    she 
proved  a  troublesome  prize.     The  fact  of  her  captivity 


366  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

nerved  every  Texan  to  desperate  measures,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  Indians  were  attacked  at  all  points,  and 
forced  back  toward  th.e  Pecos.  Then,  as  afterwards 
appeared,  the  band  having  possession  of  Miss  Lockharclt 
sent  her  northward,  and  disposed  of  her  to  the  Arapa- 
hoes.  Convinced  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  great 
chief,  by  the  exertions  made  to  recapture  her,  this  tribe 
opened  negotiations  with  the  commandants  at  Fort 
Union  and  Lancaster.  But,  before  any  thing  could  be 
accomplished,  the  Utes  and  Apaches  were  raiding  the 
entire  New  Mexican  border,  and  the  captive  girl  in 
some  way  was  transferred  to  the  former  tribe.  De- 
spite the  awful  hardships  of  a  winter  among  the  sav- 
ages she  survived,  and  in  some  way  managed  to  make 
known  her  existence  to  the  American  commandant  at 
Fort  Massachusetts,  New  Mexico.  About  this  time 
the  Territorial  Governor  called  out  five  hundred  New 
Mexican  volunteers,  who  were  put  under  command  of 
Colonel  Ceran  St.  Vrain;  and,  joined  by  the  First 
Regiment  of  United  States  Dragoons,  under  Colonel 
T.  T.  Fauntleroy,  the  whole  force  marched  into  the 
Indian  country  early  in  1855.  They  defeated  the  In- 
dians in  one  general  battle  and  several  minor  skir- 
mishes, but  no  trace  of  Miss  Lockhardt  could  be  found. 
The  noted  Kit  Carson  was  then  intrusted  writh  the  task 
of  settling  with  the  Utes  and  recovering  all  captives; 
but  other  means  were  at  work. 

Worn  down  by  his  wounds  and  mental  suffering, 
Lockhardt  returned  home  in  despair;  but  another  party 
of  determined  men  set  out  to  find  the  captive,  who 


WHERE  SHALL    WE  SETTLE. 


367 


had,  as  it  appears,  been  taken  by  the  Arapahoes  and 
Cheyennes  from  the  Utes,  with  whom  they  were  at 
war.  Again  and  again  were  the  whites  almost  suc- 


FORT    MASSACHUSETTS,    NEW    MEXICO,    1855. 

cessful,  and   as   often  was  the  unfortunate  girl  hurried 
away  to  some  more  hidden  fastness,  almost  before  their 


368  HO  W  I  KNO  W. 

eyes.  The  general  Indian  war  ended,  and  a  nominal 
peace  was  made;  negotation  was  again  attempted,  but 
the  third  year  of  her  captivity  came,  and  still  nothing 
was  done.  At  length  a  company  of  the  Texan  Rangers, 
having  penetrated  almost  to  the  heart  of  the  Guada- 
loupe  Range,  came  suddenly  upon  a  village  of  Coman- 
ches,  and,  despite  the  hurried  flight  of  the  savages, 
who  had  their  own  women  and  children  with  them, 
the  Rangers  saw  among  them  a  captive  white  woman. 
They  charged  desperately  upon  the  savages,  who  fled 
in  all  directions,  but  not  till  one  of  them  had  buried  his 
knife  in  the  body  of  the  girl,  who  was  still  breathing 
when  the  Rangers  came  up.  It  was  Minnie  Lock- 
hardt.  She  was  just  able  to  smile,  as  if  to  welcome 
the  Rangers,  then  peacefully  breathed  her  last.  "And," 
said  the  weather-beaten  frontiersman  who  gave  me 
these  facts,  as  he  chocked  down  his  emotions,  "it  was 
a  God's  blessin'  she  was  dead,  an'  her  father  never 
seen  her."  For  she  had  suffered  the  last  terrible  indig- 
nity savage  malice  could  invent.  As  is  common  when 
a  captive  woman  is  not  taken  by  one  Indian,  she  be- 
came the  common  property  of  the  band;  and  loath- 
some disease  had  worn  her  to  a  skeleton.  Heart- 
broken and  disfigured,  death  was  to  her  an  unmixed 
gain.  Her  afflicted  father  soon  followed  her  to  the 
grave.  The  Lockhardt  place  is  now  desolate;  its 
dwellings  burned,  its  tenants  gone.  But  the  chivalry 
and  hospitality  of  the  father  are  still  the  theme  of  local 
story,  while  the  beauty  and  sorrowful  fate  of  the 
daughter  are  still  told  around  the  camp-fires  and 


WHERE  SHALL   WE  SETTLE.  369 

hearth-stones  of  Texas  and  warm  anew  the  hearts  of 
its  sons  to  undying  vengeance  against  the  Comanches. 

Texas  ends  the  list  of  the  border  States  proper.  Ob- 
serve that  in  all  these  States,  as  one  goes  west,  he  rises 
slowly  to  a  higher,  dryer  and  more  barren  country,  till 
at  last,  about  longtitude  100  or  101,  he  enters  on  "the 
area  of  corrugation,"  as  geologists  call  it,  where  bar- 
renness is  the  rule;  and  this  area  includes  all  the  west- 
ern border  of  Dakota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oklahoma 
and  Texas,  of  eastern  Washington,  Oregon  and  Cali- 
lifornia,  and  all  of  Montana,  Idaho,  Wyoming,  Utah, 
Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  Let  us  skip  this 
region  of  mountain  and  desert,  and  pass  at  once  to  the 
fertile  section  of  the  Pacific  coast,  lying  west  of  the 
Sierra  Nevadas. 

California?  Well,  I  should  not  be  in  a  hurry  to 
recommend  it  to  any  man  of  moderate  means.  The 
worst  objection  is  the  oppressive  land  monopoly.  "A 
little  ranche  of  twenty  thousand  acres "  is  a  common 
expression.  A  dozen  men  each  own  a  dukedom — all 
but  the  inhabitants.  They  will  own  them  after  awhile, 
unless  this  thing  is  remedied.  The  beginning  of  this 
system  was  in  the  Mexican  grants.  The  old  Spanish 
custom  was  to  grant  a  county  of  land  to  an  impresario, 
on  condition  that  he  should  settle  a  certain  number  of 
families  on  it.  The  Mexicans  continued  the*  system 
with  some  modifications,  and  in  due  time  the  inferiors 
became  peons  to  the  lord.  These  titles  were  all  con- 
firmed by  treaty  when  the  United  States  took  posses- 
sion, and  have  been  sustained  by  the  Supreme  Court. 

24 


370  HOW  I  KNOW. 

Again,  when  the  miners  took  the  country  they  sup- 
posed the  land  to  be  worth  but  little  except  for  grazing, 
and  many  of  them  took  up  claims  and  sold  them  for  a 
trifle  to  speculators,  and  thus  the  best  land  in  California 
is  now  held  in  immense  tracts  by  an  aristocracy.  Of 
course  these  men  are  in  favor  of  "Chinese  cheap 
labor,"  and  equally,  of  course,  the  poorer  whites  are 
unanimously  opposed  to  it.  Some  have  thought  that, 
as  our  country  grew  older,  all  the  lands  would  be  held 
in  the  same  way;  but  it  is  somewhat  reassuring  to  note 
that  there  is  less  land  monopoly  in  Massachusetts  than 
in  Ohio,  and  far  less  in  Ohio  than  in  California.  In 
some  of  the  oldest  States  the  land  is  most  equally  dis- 
tributed, thanks  to  our  wise  laws  of  descent  and  dis- 
tribution of  estates;  and  in  the  course  of  fifty  or  a 
hundred  years  the  attrition  of  a  free  society  will  wear 
out  this  evil  in  California. 

It  is  now  very  difficult  for  one  to  get  a  small  piece 
of  land  in  that  State;  and  it  would  be  better  for  intend- 
ing emigrants  to  organize  in  some  way,  and  buy  out  a 
grant,  of  which  there  are  always  a  few  for  sale.  There 
are  a  few  places — very  few  I  am  afraid — where  the 
best  land  is  not  in  the  hands  of  monopolists,  and  it  is 
already  noticeable  that  such  communities  improve  faster 
than  others.  But  for  many  years  to  come  California 
will  continue  to  be  a  land  of  the  beggar  and  the 
prince. 

In  Oregon  this  evil  is  not  so  great,  but  still  great 
enough.  Land  in  the  Willamette  Valley  is  not  much 
cheaper  than  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  I  cannot  think 


WHERE  SHALL    WE  SETTLE. 


371 


that  enough  is  gained  to  make  it  worth  while  to  go  so 
far.     I  do  not  see  how  a  man, 
wife  and  five  children — aver- 
age Western  family — can  get 
to     Oregon    comfortably    for 
less  than  five  or  six  hundred 
dollars,  which  amount  would 
buy  eighty  acres  of  first-class 
land  in  Kansas  or  Nebraska, 
or  a  hundred  acres  in  Texas; 
and,  having  got  to  Oregon,  you 
must  pay  more  for  land  than 
in    the    other    States    named, 
with    a  moral    certainty   that 
the  country  will  develop  more 
slowly.     Oregon  began  to  be 
settled  by  white  men  in  1830; 
before  1848  it  contained  about 
ten  thousand   Americans;   its 
population  now  is  about  one 
hundred    thousand.       Kansas 
was  thrown  open  to 
settlement   only 
twenty-three  years 
ago;  it  now  contains 
a    population    of    at 
least    six    hundred 
thousand.     It  strikes 
me    that's    the    sort 
of  a   country  to  go 


A    CALIFORNIA    BIG   TREE. 


372  HOW  I  KNOW. 

to,  if  you  want  your  future  to  hurry  up.  But,  if  you 
like  a  romantic  border  country — one  that  is  likely  to 
stay  border  for  a  long  time — go  to  Oregon.  Oregon 
climate?  Well,  some  people  like  it.  I  don't.  True,  it 
is  mild — and  moist;  but  I  am  just  Yankee  enough  to 
prefer  the  cold,  dry  winter  to  the  warm,  wet,  muggy, 
and  muddy.  No  five  months'  rain  for  me,  if  you 
please.  I'd  rather  freeze  than  smother.  In  California 
it's  different.  There  is  no  more  rain  there  during  the 
so-called  "rainy  season"  than  in  Ohio,  and  half  the  time 
not  as  much.  In  fact,  there  never  is  too  much  rain  in 
California,  though  there  sometimes  is  too  little.  The 
summers  in  Oregon  are  delightful  enough — more  pleas- 
ant than  in  California;  but,  as  at  present  advised,  I 
would  not  recommend  either  State  to  the  class  of  em- 
igrants just  now  going  West. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  great  interior,  and  see  if  we 
can  pick  out  any  oases  inviting  to  settlement  between 
longtitude  100  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas.  Nevada  is  not 
an  agricultural  State  at  all;  and  for  aught  we  can  now 
see,  never  will  be.  It  contains  ninety-eight  thousand 
square  miles,  and  less  good  land  than  three  average 
counties  in  Ohio.  It  has  population  enough  for  one- 
third  of  a  member  of  Congress;  but  our  "paternal" 
government  has  granted  the  State  one  Representative 
and  two  Senators.  Nobody  need  think  of  going  there  to 
engage  in  farming.  In  the  far  distant  future,  when  land 
is  in  much  greater  demand  than  now,  some  way  will 
perhaps  be  found  to  redeem  those  arid  tracts.  Trees 
will  be  planted  wherever  they  will  grow;  the  Austra- 


WHERE  SHALL   WE  SETTLE.  373 

lian  eucalyptus  may  flourish  even  on  the  desert,  and 
thus  in  a  few  centuries  a  moister  atmosphere  be  cre- 
ated. But  for  the  present  the  population  must  consist 
of  capitalists  and  laboring  miners,  and  their  congeners. 
And  here  I  might  indulge  in  wearying  words  on  the 
romance  and  hardship  of  a  miner's  life,  had  I  not  given 
him  a  chapter  to  himself.  Strange  it  is  that  he  should 
be  the  most  imaginative  of  men  with  a  life  of  such 
prosaic  toil;  but  it  is,  doubtless,  because  his  ways 
are  in  a  path,  as  Job  says,  "which  no  fowl  knoweth, 
and  which  the  vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen:  the  lion's 
whelps  have  not  trodden  it,  nor  the  fierce  lion  passed 
by  it."  (Job  xxviii).  And  no  finer,  more  poetical  de- 
scription of  the  silver  miner's  strange  life  underground 
was  ever  written  than  in  that  chapter,  taking  Louth's 
version:  "He  putteth  forth  his  hand  upon  the  rocks, 
he  swings  above  the  depths.  He  cutteth  out  water- 
courses through  the  rocks;  and  his  eye  searcheth  for 
precious  things.  He  makes  a  new  way  for  the  floods; 
he  goes  in  the  very  stones  of  darkness  in  the  shadow 
of  death."  The  perils  of  the  prospector  above  ground 
are  equally  great,  but  the  life  has  its  charms  for  all  that. 
In  Utah  are  still  a  few  unoccupied  plateaus  which 
could  be  redeemed  by  canals  taken  out  from  some 
large  stream.  Bear  River  Valley  contains  some  sixty 
thousand  acres  of  fertile  land,  which  might  be  re- 
deemed at  moderate  cost  by  a  canal  from  Bear  River. 
The  climate  is  mild,  not  very  hot  in  summer,  and  de- 
cidedly pleasant  in  winter.  The  Central  Pacific  runs 
through  the  valley,  and  the  location  is  excellent  for  a 


374  no  w  i  KNO  w. 

thriving  colony.  On  the  Sevier  is  a  smaller  valley  of 
the  same  character.  East  of  the  Wasatch  Range  are 
several  beautiful  valleys.  That  of  Ashley's  Fork  con- 
tains land  enough  for  three  thousand  farms,  all  of  most 
excellent  quality;  and  it  can  be  had  for  the  taking. 
Late  in  1873  a  dozen  stock  ranchers  settled  there,  and 
have  raised  splendid  crops  every  year  since.  Be  it 
noted  that  in  no  part  of  the  temperate  zone  is  fruit  a 
more  certain  crop  than  in  Utah.  Peaches  never  fail. 
The  Ashley  Valley  slopes  gently  to  the  south-east;  snow 
rarely  lies  on  more  than  one  night,  and  all  the  slopes  are 
rich  in  bunch-grass.  Game  is  abundant  in  the  neighbor- 
ing hills,  and  a  good  road  can  easily  be  constructed  to 
the  Union  Pacific  at  Bridger  Station.  The  valley  of 
Brush  Creek,  east  of  Ashley,  is  about  half  as  large  and 
equally  inviting.  In  these  a  colony  of  ten  thousand 
Americans  might  make  for  themselves  delightful  homes. 
Farther  south  are  several  fine  valleys,  none  quite  so 
large  as  the  foregoing,  but  very  fertile;  and  small  set- 
tlements have  been  made  in  some  of  them.  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  these  valleys  which  open  eastward  from  the 
Wasatch  are  free  from  Mormon  domination,  and  will 
remain  so  if  settled  by  Gentile  colonies.  It  has  always 
seemed  to  me  that  life  would  be  exceedingly  pleasant 
in  one  of  these  alpine  valleys.  The  elevation  is  about 
five  thousand  feet  above  sea-level;  the  winters  are  mild; 
the  summer  air  dry  and  stimulating.  There  is  game 
on  the  hills,  and  trout  in  the  streams;  land  enough  to 
produce  grain  for  a  sparse  population,  and  almost  un- 
limited grazing  ground.  But  these  districts  will  never 


WHERE  SHALL    WE  SETTLE. 


375 


sustain  a  large  population.  Between  each  settled  valley 
and  the  next  there  will  be  a  day's  ride  over  barren 
mountain  or  grassy 
hill.  All  that  part 
of  Utah  east  of  the 
Wasatch  will  never 
sustain  a  hundred 
thousand  people. 

Wyoming  con- 
tains so  little  farm- 
ing land  that  it  is 
not  worth  while  to 
discuss  it;  but  it  is 
rich  in  grazing 
tracts.  Of  the  nine- 
ty-eight thousand 
square  miles  in  this 
Territory,  one-half 
is  complete  desert; 
the  rest  good 
grazing  ground, 

with    perhaps     five     NEVADA  FALLS,  YOSEM- 

hundred    sections 

of  farming  land,  though  I   never  saw 

the  latter  and  do  not  know  where  it  is 

located.     Of  course  no  one  pre-empts 

his  grazing  land;    he  merely  takes  up 

meadow   land    when    he    can    get    it    convenient;    and 

perhaps   enough   farming    land   for   a   garden,   if  there 

is    so    much    in    the    neighborhood.      One 


year   with 


376  HOW  I  KNOW. 

another  the  herder  puts  up  hay  enough  for  three 
months'  feeding.  Sometimes  none  of  it  is  used,  and 
then  it  is  on  hand  for  the  next  winter.  About  half  the 
time  the  common  stock  can  go  through  the  winter 
without  hay,  living  on  the  bunch-grass;  but  blooded 
stock  should  be  fed  at  least  two  months  every  winter. 
By  the  first  of  May  stock  can  live  well  on  the  range. 
From  that  on  the  grass  appears  to  get  more  nourishing 
every  day  till  December.  If  the  winter  comes  on  with 
snow,  grass  remains  good  till  the  snow  melts;  but  rain 
takes  the  sweetness  out  of  it.  It  will  then  sustain  life, 
but  stock  lose  flesh  rapidly  while  living  on  it.  It  re- 
quires a  much  larger  area  for  the  same  number  of 
stock  than  in  a  blue-grass  country,  as  the  grass  makes 
but  one  growth  per  year,  not  renewing  itself  after  being 
eaten  off.  From  all  these  facts  it  will  be  apparent  that 
Wyoming  never  can  sustain  a  very  large  population. 

New  Mexico?  Well,  I  must,  as  candidly  as  may 
be,  admit  that  I  was  rather  disgusted  with  it  —  that  is, 
for  any  thing  else  than  mountains  and  scenery.  Bear  in 
mind  that  the  central  portions  of  New  Mexico  are  really 
older  country  than  Ohio.  Santa  Fe  was  founded  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  before  Cincinnati.  All  the  good 
land  in  the  valleys  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tributaries 
was  long  ago  occupied,  and  the  grazing  lands  of  the 
central  section  are  taken  up.  West  of  the  Rio  Grande 
the  country  is  practically  worthless  to  a  man  used  to 
the  system  of  living  in  Ohio.  The  Territory  has  all 
the  faults  of  an  old  country,  and  few  of  its  virtues.  As 
a  stock-rancher  you  have  but  two  chances  of  success. 


WHERE  SHALL   WE   SETTLE.  377 

The  one  adopted  by  most  live  Americans  is  to  go  into 
partnership  with  one  of  the  nobility.  If  you  have  busi- 
ness ability  and  a  partner  who  can  furnish  the  blue 
blood,  respectability,  local  prestige  and  land,  you  may 
in  time  become  a  capitalist,  and  marry  ten  or  twenty 
thousand  sheep,  with  an  incumbrance  in  the  shape  of  a 
lady,  whose  priest  will  rule  her,  and  her  father  insist 
on  an  ante-nuptial  contract  that  the  children  shall  be 
reared  in  the  "Holy  Catholic  faith."  The  other  plan 
is  to  go  with  money  enough  to  buy  a  thousand  sheep 
and  a  herd-right — that  is  to  say,  to  be  a  capitalist  your- 
self. But  don't  think  of  going  to  New  Mexico  to  build 
up  a  fortune  by  hard  work.  The  common  fellows 
there  can  work  for  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  live  on  jerked 
mutton  and  flour. 

If  you  want  to  lead  a  wild  harum-scarum  sort  of 
life  for  a  while,  free  from  social  restraints,  where 
chastity  is  not  a  requisite  for  good  society,  and  morals 
in  general  are  somewhat  relaxed,  New  Mexico  is  a 
splendid  place  to  sow  your  wild  oats.  As  to  the  crop 
to  be  reaped,  I  refer  you  to  a  very  ancient  authority. 
But,  if  you  think  much  of  yourself,  better  set  up  your 
sheep  ranche  in  Colorado  or  Wyoming,  where  there  is 
not  such  an  oppressive  atmosphere  of  genta  fina,  and 
where  the  owner  of  two  sheep  is  still  one  of  the  boys, 
and  can  dance  with  the  daughter  of  the  man  who  owns 
a  thousand.  In  south-western  Arizona  a  progressive 
community  has  been  built  up  of  late  years,  and  though 
the  fertile  area  is  small,  there  is  still  room  for  thou- 
sands more.  Colorado  I  have  described  at  some 


378  HOW  I  KNOW. 

length  in  a  previous  chapter.  It  is,  in  my  opinion,  the 
most  enlightened  and  progressive  of  all  the  far  western 
communities,  though  I  doubt  if  it  can  ever  have  the 
population  that  Dakota  will  some  day  contain.  .  Idaho 
I  know  very  little  about,  and  of  Montana  practically 
still  less.  But  it  is  universally  agreed  that  they  are 
not  agricultural  Territories.  There  are  valleys  in  both 
which  contain  considerable  good  land,  and  large  graz- 
ing tracts;  but  mining  will  be  the  leading  interest  of 
both  for  some  time.  Taken  as  a  whole,  and  allowing 
for  every  possible  improvement  in  methods  of  farming 
and  reclamation  of  desert  lands,  the  whole  vast  interior, 
between  longtitude  100  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  can 
never  average  one  acre  in  ten  fit  for  the  farmer;  and 
not  more  than  half  the  rest  is  of  any  value  for  timber 
or  grazing. 

And  can  such  a  region  ever  be  filled  by  prosperous 
States,  which  shall  rival  those  of  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley ?  Never.  All  calculations  as  to  the  shifting  of 
political  power,  made  on  the  basis  of  new  States,  rich 
and  populous,  are  sure  to  miscarry.  That  section  has 
an  area  greater  than  that  of  all  the  States  east  of  the 
Mississippi;  but  its  population  fifty  years  hence  will 
not  be  greater  than  that  of  Massachusetts.  Only  in 
the  Senate  will  the  relative  power  of  the  East  and 
West  be  changed  in  the  future,  and  probably  very  little 
there.  Colorado  was  only  admitted  after  a  ten  years' 
struggle.  Nevada  ought  to  be  set  back  to  a  territorial 
condition  to-day,  if  there  were  any  constitutional  way 
of  doing  justice.  The  child  is  not  born  that  will  live 


WHERE   SHALL    WE   SETTLE.  379 

to  see  her  with  population  enough  for  one  congressional 
district.  Here  is  a  liberal  estimate  of  the  maximum 
population  these  divisions  are  likely  to  have  in  the 
year  1900: 

Colorado,     ......         .  250,000 

Wyoming, 100,000 

Dakota, 300,000 

Idaho, 100,000 

Washington, 125,000 

Utah, ,  250,000 

New  Mexico, 150,000 

Montana, 100,000 

Nevada,        .                 75>ooo 

Arizona, 50,000 

Total,          ........         1,500,000 

Extraordinary  discoveries  may  enable  some  one  of 
the  mining  regions  to  get  ahead  of  the  others,  but  the 
grand  total  cannot  be  greater  than  here  set  down;  and 
only  the*  most  favorable  contingencies  can  make  it  so 
great.  The  influence  which  this  may  have  upon  our 
social  and  national  life  opens  a  wide  field  for  discussion. 
The  good  land  at  the  disposal  of  our  Government  is 
nearly  exhausted.  But  a  few  more  years  and  there 
will  be  no  more  virgin  soil  awaiting  the  immigrant. 
Then  the  half  desert  lands  must  be  won  with  great 
toil,  or  we  must  turn  back  and  fill  up  the  corners 
which  have  been  overrun  in  our  rush  for  the  best 
spots.  Our  surplus  population  will  then  have  no  rich 
heritage  to  look  to,  where  a  homestead  can  be  had 
for  the  taking.  The  paternal  farm  in  the  East  must 
be  divided  again  and  again,  if  all  the  boys  are  to  have 
a  share.  What  will  be  the  effect  on  our  discontented 


380  HOW  I  KNOW. 

classes?  Will  it  add  a  new  strain  to  republican  gov- 
ernment, and  will  the  troubles  which  menace  the  old 
world  monarchies  then  come  upon  us  and  find  us  un- 
prepared to  treat  them  rightly?  or  is  there  yet  room  in 
the  Eastern  States  for  us  to  grow  harmoniously  for  an- 
other century?  These  be  momentous  questions. 

Certain  theorists  have  further  troubled  themselves 
about  the  silver  supply;  and  timid  editors  and  politi- 
cians have  suggested  that,  if  more  bonanzas  are  dis- 
covered, silver  will  soon  be  "  cheap  enough  to  manu- 
ufacture  into  door-hinges."  To  such  I  guarantee 
comforting  proofs.  Let  them  invest  heavily  in  unde- 
veloped silver  mines,  and  before  they  get  their  money 
back  they  will  be  convinced  that  silver  is  still  a  precious 
metal — hard  to  get  at  and  correspondingly  valuable 
when  got.  One  Ohio  editor  says:  "Suppose  they 
should  discover  a  mountain  of  silver !"  Suppose  they 
should  discover  a  mountain  of  ice-cream  in  August ! 
The  one  supposition  is  as  reasonable  as  the  other.  In 
fact,  the  latter  phenomenon  would  violate  fewer  of  the 
laws  of  Nature  than  the  former.  Unchanging  law  de- 
crees that,  even  in  the  richest  mineral  region,  there 
must  be  many  million  times  as  much  dead  rock  — 
"attle,"  "rubble,"  and  "country-rock" — as  silver-bearing 
rock.  Let  silver  permanently  cheapen  but  five  per 
cent,  and  two-thirds  of  the  mines  in  the  world  would 
cease  to  be  profitable. 

For  another  class  there  is  comfort.  Poet  and  ro- 
mancer, as  well  as  hunter  and  tourist,  have  lamented 
that  in  so  short  a  time  the  wild  West  would  be  a  thing 


WHERE   SHALL   WE   SETTLE.  381 

of  the  past;  that  soon  all  would  be  tame,  dull  and 
common-place.  Let  them  be  reassured.  The  wild 
West  will  continue  wild  for  centuries.  There  will  be 
a  million  square  miles  of  mountain,  desert,  rock  and 
sand,  of  lonely  gorge  and  hidden  glen,  of  walled  basin, 
wind-swept  canon  and  timbered  hills,  to  invite  the 
tourist,  the  sportsman  and  the  lover  of  solitude.  The 
mountain  Territories  will  long  remain  the  abode  of 
romance;  and  "Western  Wilds"  will  be  celebrated  in 
song  and  story,  while  generation  succeeds  generation 
of  "  the  men  who  redeem  them." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

CONCLUSION. 

ON  the    1 4th   day  of  December,  1878,  I   left    the 
old  Los   Pinos   Agency  for  home.      I   came  by 
way  of  Saguache  to  Del  Norte  on   horseback.     There 
I  procured  a  ticket  to  Chicago  for  sixty-four  dollars. 

Then  I  was  suddenly  roused,  as  by  an  angel's  touch, 
to  the  bright  hopes  of  reaching  home  and  meeting  friends 
again  after  the  lapse  of  fifteen  years  and  nearly  nine 
months.  All  my  former  years,  all  my  former  school- 
mates and  friendships  returned  to  my  memory,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  I  could  not  be  conveyed  fast  enough  to 
the  home  of  my  childhood.  I  sat  for  hours  looking 
out  of  the  car-windows  at  the  vast  fertile  fields,  cov- 


382  .  HOW  I  KNOW. 

ered  at  that  time  with  a  light  snow.  Everything 
seemed  new  and  improved.  Would  my  mother  know 
me?  was  a  question  often  in  my  mind.  I  wondered  if 
she  too  had  changed  like  everything  else. 

I  arrived  at  home  on  the  23d  day  of  December,  1878. 
I  came  in  on  the  home-folks  by  surprise.  What  a  gay 
and  happy  meeting  it  was.  How  glad  every  one  was 
to  see  me,  and  how  much  more  happy  was  I  to  see 
them.  How  pleasant  to  sit  and  talk  over  the  events 
of  the  past!  But,  oh!  what  changes  take  place  in 
fifteen  long  years!  When  I  was  a  boy  I  thought  I 
would  never  be  a  man.  Now  that  I  am  a  man  time 
flies  on  fleeting  wings.  I  find  that  many  who  were 
once  my  friends  and  companions  have  passed  away. 
I  am  no  longer  permitted  to  hear  that  voice  to  which 
once  I  so  loved  to  listen,  which  was  so  sweet  to  me 
with  tender  words.  No  more  may  I  see  those  friendly 
smiles  which  once  so  thrilled  me  with  pleasure.  The 
beloved  form  has  passed  away,  and  now  lies  mouldering 
among  the  clods  of  the  valley.  The  virtues  of  my  de- 
parted friends  all  come  flashing  back  upon  my  kindling 
thoughts. 

I  find  my  old  Ohio  friends,  who  are  still  living,  bet- 
ter supplied  with  the  luxuries  and  conveniences  of  life 
than  are  the  people  of  the  West,  unless  it  be  in  Cali- 
fornia. Amid  old  friends  and  friendly  comforts  time 
speeds  swiftly  away. 

The  6th  day  of  June,  1879,  found  me  at  my  father's 
house.  I  was  preparing  to  go  to  Lewisburg,  not  think- 
ing about  this  being  the  anniversary  of  my  birthday. 


CONCLUSION.  383 

My  father  rather  surprised  me  by  suddenly  asking  me 
to  go  over  the  place  with  him,  to  look  at  the  corn, 
and  to  salt  the  stock.  To  this  I  readily  consented,  of 
course,  and  we  were  soon  on  our  way.  We  left  the 
house  early  and  I  thought  we  would  soon  return.  But 
such  I  found  was  not  my  father's  intention;  for,  after 
he  had  salted  every  animal  on  the  place,  then  we  must 
look  at  the  corn;  and  after  that  we  must  cross  clear 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  farm  to  see  if  the  Col- 
orado potato-bugs  were  eating  up  his  peach-blows.  I 
was,  by  this  time,  beginning  to  get  tired,  and  I  am  in- 
clined to  believe  that,  had  there  been  any  thing  more 
to  see,  I  should  have  gone  back  to  the  house  alone. 

But  when  we  did  finally  return  to  the  house,  I  saw 
his  object.  He  was  keeping  me  out  as  long  as  possible 
to  give  friends  and  neighbors  a  chance  to  come  in  on 
me  before  I  should  get  away  from  home  for  the  day,  as 
there  was  a  surprise  party  arranged  for  my  especial 
benefit.  And  I  should  be  ungrateful,  indeed,  if  on  this 
occasion,  when  I  enter  upon  my  thirtieth  year  in 
the  full  enjoyment  of  health  and  surrounded  by  all 
these  kind  and  loving  friends,  I  did  not  recognize 
the  Omnipotent  hand  that  has  brought  me  safely 
through  all  the  trials  and  vicissitudes  of  my  life  up  to 
the  present,  and  has  now  crowned  me  with  comfort 
and  surrounded  me  with  friends  such  as  I  never  before 
enjoyed.  Old  and  young,  great  and  small — all  are 
here.  The  presence  of  these  friends  and  the  happy 
surroundings  of  the  day  teach  me  that  there  is  some- 
thing infinitely  better  in  this  world  and  the  world  to 


384  HOW  I  KNOW. 

come  than  money  or  position;  and,  by  the  help  of  the 
kind  Providence  that  has  brought  me  safely  through 
so  many  dangers  and  trials,  I  will  henceforth  lead  a 
new  life,  and  a  better  one. 

My  faculties  were  not  given  me  to  be  wasted  in  aim- 
less inactivity,  but  to  be  kept  from  all  that  is  corrupt- 
ing; to  be  employed  in  all  that  is  useful  and  ennobling. 
Henceforth  let  my  opinions  and  judgment  of  things  be 
formed  by  a  supreme  regard  for  the  will  of  Him  who  has 
cared,  and  still  cares  for  me.  I  desire  to  cherish  every 
right  principle,  to  seek  every  honorable  and  useful  end; 
to  do  what  is  just  and  true,  what  is  humane  and  benev- 
olent; to  set  my  affections  only  upon  that  which  is  most 
worthy  to  engage  them,  to  love  all  that  is  good  and  to 
seek  holiness  and  Heaven;  to  live  for  eternity,  to  be 
directed  in  all  things  by  the  word  of  God,  and  to  be 
conformed  to  the  example  of  Christ.  Thus  may  I 
hope  to  rise  into  a  new  life  of  usefulness  and  of  hap- 
piness, and  to  pass  the  remainder  of  my  days  in  lov- 
ing association  with  my  fellow-men,  and  be  beloved  by 
them. 


THE    END. 


